A video has appeared showing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro wishing bystanders a “Happy New Year” after being abducted by American forces and flown to New York to face criminal charges.
Maduro wishes federal authorities a “Happy New Year” as he’s booked in New York. 😭pic.twitter.com/xuBJJJt0Up
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) January 4, 2026
The short clip, which was posted by the White House’s official rapid response account on Sunday, describes the scene as a “perp walk.”
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In the video, Maduro is slowly walking along a corridor in handcuffs while being escorted by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, who are wearing windbreakers. Maduro himself is dressed in a hooded sweatshirt.
Attempting to speak English, Maduro is heard saying “Good night,” then adding, “Happy New Year,” with a slightly more animated tone. Another clip filmed around the same time shows Maduro being accompanied outdoors by more than two dozen law enforcement officers.
US officials said Maduro was processed and fingerprinted at a DEA facility in Manhattan. They did not provide further details on his condition or the timing of his initial court appearance and arraignment.
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Maduro, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured during a US operation following strikes in Caracas. US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said Maduro and Flores were indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offences. US officials have also refused to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
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Maduro has repeatedly rejected claims that he is in any way linked to the drug trade, suggesting that Washington is using the accusation as a pretext for regime change in Venezuela.
Following Maduro’s capture, Trump said that the US is “going to run” Venezuela until a “proper transition can take place.” However, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez – who is next in line in succession after Maduro – has condemned the attack and demanded that the US release the Venezuelan leader, stressing that the country “will never return to being the colony of another empire.”
