The United States led “large-scale strikes” against Venezuela on Saturday — forcibly removing Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country. Visuals shared online showed the President seen travelling blindfolded in a military jet before reaching New York in handcuffs. The official White House social media handle also took a swipe at Maduro — sharing excerpts from a fiery speech where Maduro had dared America to ‘come and get him’.
“Come get me. I will wait for him here in Miraflores. Don’t be late, coward,” he had said in August.
The remarks came soon after the US State Department increased its reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maduro. The amount had initially stood at $15 million in 2020 and eventually rose to $50 million by August last year.
‘Maduro had his chance’
“Nicolas Maduro had his chance — until he didn’t. The Trump Admin will always defend American citizens against all threats, foreign and domestic,” the official White House handle wrote on X.
Trump has insisted that the US will now “run” the South American nation of about 30 million people and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. American officials have shared very few details about how this might be done — with analysts suggesting that it would be difficult to execute such a process.
Maduro reaches New York in handcuffs
A plane carrying Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrived at the Stewart Air National Guard Base on Sunday morning. Footage shared by WCBS showed the Venezuelan leader in handcuffs while being escorted by more than a dozen federal agents. They underwent medical checks in the hangar before being taken by helicopter to Manhattan and later the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Visuals that have emerged in the ensuing hours show Maduro shuffling forward amidst heavy security after landing on the tarmac. The White House shared a video of his his purported ‘perp walk’ alongside security personnel and a now-viral photo showed the ousted leader giving a double thumbs up as federal agents stood next to him.