Maduro will be indicted on a four-count indictment accusing him of leading a 25-year-old narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Venezuelans react to US attack and capture of President Maduro
Venezuelans around the world are praising and condemning the actions of the United States following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is scheduled to appear in federal court in New York at noon on January 5, according to the Media Office of the Southern District of New York.
Maduro will be charged in a four-count indictment accusing him of leading a 25-year-old narco-terrorism conspiracy that included several senior members of his regime.
He is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in Manhattan.
President Maduro and his wife, Syria Adela Flores de Maduro, were captured in their home during a U.S. military offensive against Venezuela on January 3 and taken to the United States.
Maduro was indicted over the weekend on federal charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine and two counts of illegal weapons charges for allegedly helping to transport large amounts of cocaine into the United States over several decades. He arrived in New York late on the evening of January 3 and is being held in a detention center.
He was indicted along with his wife, son, and senior government officials. The indictment also seeks the seizure of property resulting from the alleged criminal conspiracy.
President Donald Trump, who ordered military entry into Venezuela to arrest the president and his wife, vowed that the United States would “run” the South American country until a democratic transition was achieved.
President Trump said at a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, that he will run the country until such time as there is a safe, proper and wise transition of power. “We have to be smart, because that’s what we’re all about.”
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC’s Meet the Press on January 4, “We’re not implementing policy. We’re implementing policy.” He also said elections could take more than a month to hold.
“We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction, because we think that is not only good for the Venezuelan people, but also in the national interest.”
The operation marked a dramatic escalation in President Trump’s stance on Venezuela after months of heightened tensions, threats and the seizure of an oil tanker.
Sarah D. Wire covers national politics for USA TODAY. Contact him at swire@usatoday.com.
