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yesterday

U.S. Says Maduro, Flores Were Hurt Fleeing Safe Room During Caracas Capture

Officials describe the mission as a law‑enforcement operation, not regime change, with acting leader Delcy Rodríguez seen as a pragmatic interlocutor.

The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, as seen on January 3.
Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, on their way to a federal courthouse in the Manhattan borough of New York on January 5, 2026.
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Overview

  • Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores appeared in a New York courtroom with visible injuries and pleaded not guilty to U.S. charges including narco‑terrorism and drug trafficking.
  • Flores’ attorney said she sustained significant injuries and requested X‑rays and a full medical evaluation, while officials who briefed lawmakers characterized her head injury as minor.
  • Briefers told Congress the pair hit their heads while trying to hide behind a low steel door inside their compound before Delta Force apprehended them.
  • The operation involved nearly 200 U.S. personnel and included a firefight with a Cuban quick‑reaction force, with U.S. operators suffering non‑life‑threatening injuries.
  • Cuba reported 32 military and police personnel killed during the raid, as prosecutors allege the couple profited from large‑scale cocaine smuggling and cite prior convictions of Flores’ nephews in a related case.