Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has arrived in the United States and was brought to the Metropolitan Detention Centre in New York, where he now awaits trial on charges of narco-terrorism.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken from their home in Venezuela's capital city Caracas in a dramatic US military operation that Maduro's government called “imperialist.”
Following the operation dubbed "Absolute Resolve", US President Donald Trump said his country will "run" Venezuela until a "safe" transition and take control of its vast oil reserves.
It capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Maduro and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader.
Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, but didn’t give a number. Trump said some US forces were injured, but none were killed.
Venezuelans unsure about country's future
Trump did not say who will lead Venezuela, but seemed to rule out working with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, saying she didn't have the support to run the country.
Delcy Rodríguez, who is next in the presidential line of succession, served as Maduro's vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuela's oil-dependent economy as well as its feared intelligence service. On Saturday, Venezuela’s high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president.
Trump indicated that Rodríguez had been sworn in already as president of Venezuela, per the transfer of power outlined in the constitution.
But state TV did not broadcast any swearing-in ceremony.
During Rodríguez's televised speech, a ticker at the bottom of the screen identified her as the vice president. She gave no sign that she would be cooperating with the US, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“What is being done to Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law,” she said in her address. “History and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay.”
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, among Maduro's top enforcers, urged Venezuelans to “get out on the streets” to defend the country’s sovereignty.
Some Venezuelans heeded his call, rallying in support of the government and burning American flags in scattered gatherings across Caracas on Saturday. But most people stayed inside out of fear.
“What's happening is unprecedented,” said Yanire Lucas, another Caracas resident, picking up pieces of glass from an explosion at a nearby military base that blew out the windows of her house.
“We’re still on edge, and now we’re unsure what to do.”
International response divided
Leaders around the world have responded with a mix of condemnation and support for the capture of Maduro.
European leaders asserted that Maduro was regarded as an illegitimate leader, but also urged restraint and de-escalation.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas wrote "The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition," in a post on X. "Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that "Maduro has led his country into ruin."
"The most recent election was rigged. Like many other countries, we have therefore not recognised his presidency. Maduro has played a problematic role in the region," he added.
French President also welcomed Maduro's arrest, saying "people could only rejoice."
Meanwhile, China's foreign ministry said the United States should immediately release Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife and resolve the situation in Venezuela through dialogue and negotiation.
Russia's foreign ministry said it is "extremely alarmed" and called for "immediate clarification", according to a statement posted on Saturday on the ministry's Telegram channel.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the operation. "These developments constitute a dangerous precedent," Guterres' spokesperson said.
"The Secretary-General continues to emphasise the importance of full respect - by all - of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected."
Around the US, Americans took to the streets to protest the US military intervention in Venezuela, while some Venezuelan migrants gathered to celebrate.
Experts and opposition question operation's legality
Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the US attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorisation for the use of military force for such operations in the region.
Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on "its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”
“If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president?,” said Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, in a statement.
“Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it,” he added.
“There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.
A council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the UN Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on the US operations in Venezuela on Monday morning.
