Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro was in a New York jail on Sunday after a shock US snatch-and-grab raid to remove him from power and assert Washington’s control over the oil-rich South American nation.
The US military carried out air strikes on Venezuela’s capital Caracas early on Saturday. Commandos captured Maduro and his wife, who were flown to New York City where they face drug-trafficking and weapons charges.
Good night, happy new year,” the 63-year-old leftist was heard saying in English.
Maduro has led Venezuela with an iron fist for more than a decade through a series of elections widely thought to have been rigged. He came to power after the death of his charismatic mentor, former president Hugo Chavez.
As news of his seizure rippled out, exiled Venezuelans waved flags and celebrated in plazas from Madrid to Santiago. About eight million Venezuelans have fled the grinding poverty and political suppression of their homeland. There was muted joy too in Caracas.
“I felt the explosions lift me out of bed. In that instant I thought: ‘My God, the day has come,’ and I cried,” Maria Eugenia Escobar, a 58-year-old resident told AFP.
But the streets in the Venezuelan capital remained quiet and many residents were apprehensive about what is to come.
Trump said he was “designating people” from his cabinet to take control, but gave no further details.
The Republican leader appeared to reject the possibility of the country’s opposition taking power, instead saying he could work with Maduro’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
