They screamed their lungs out outside a Manhattan courthouse. Their voices reportedly carried anger, fear and hope.
Inside, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stood shackled at the ankles, media outlets reported.
He was wearing orange and beige prison garb. He insisted he was still the country’s rightful leader.
Across from him, his wife, Cilia Flores, also faced US federal charges. The couple pleaded not guilty in a half-hour hearing that left both supporters and opponents of Maduro unsettled.
Maduro, 63, spoke through an interpreter. “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” Maduro was quoted as saying.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein reportedly interrupted him as the charges were read.
The couple faces counts including narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering.
Maduro has long denied the allegations, calling them a cover for imperialist ambitions on Venezuela’s oil reserves. His defense lawyer, Barry Pollack, called the case a “military abduction” and predicted complex litigation.
Hours later in Caracas, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as interim president. She expressed support for Maduro but did not resist the US operation.
A US intelligence report said Rodriguez was best positioned to maintain order, while opposition figures such as Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado or Edmundo Gonzalez could struggle to gain legitimacy.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the administration’s decisions were meant to align Venezuela with US interests.
President Trump said the US was “at war with the people that sell drugs,” not Venezuela itself. He added that the country’s problems must be fixed before elections, calling a 30-day timeline unrealistic.
The US has considered Maduro illegitimate since a contested 2018 vote.
International reaction was swift. Russia, China, and leftist allies condemned the raid. Experts questioned its legality. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the operation as fully legal. Meanwhile, Maduro loyalists in Caracas remained in control of the country’s 30 million people, balancing defiance with potential cooperation with Washington.
US officials, including Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, briefed Congress for over two hours.
Senator Chuck Schumer said the plan was vague. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the US was “running Venezuela” and that all Venezuelan oil commerce required American permission.
President Trump said US companies would return to rebuild Venezuela’s oil sector, possibly with government subsidies, in less than 18 months.
A courtroom sketch by Jane Rosenberg captured Maduro and Flores at the arraignment, attended by lawyers Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly.
Also Read: U.S. Forces Oust Maduro in High-Stakes Raid; Trump Declares U.S. Control of Venezuela https://www.vibesofindia.com/u-s-forces-oust-maduro-in-high-stakes-raid-trump-declares-u-s-control-of-venezuela/
