The full force of American justice met a defiant Nicolás Maduro in a Manhattan courtroom this week, but it was the deposed Venezuelan president who unleashed his fury during a remarkable preliminary hearing.
A Dramatic Courtroom Confrontation
Rather than the solemn proceedings expected, the hearing descended into a shouting match. Maduro, 63, screamed back at a man in the public gallery, Pedro Rojas, who accused him of crimes and warned he would 'pay'. Maduro retorted that he was a 'prisoner of war' and a 'kidnapped President'. The extraordinary exchange occurred at the end of a 30-minute hearing at the federal courthouse in Manhattan, where Judge Alvin Hellerstein had earlier cut off Maduro's rant about being captured by US forces.
It was a starkly humbling scene for the man who, just three days prior, was a head of state. Maduro walked into courtroom 26A wearing a black t-shirt over an orange one and tan prison-issue pants. His hands were cuffed behind him upon entry, and his legs were shackled. His wife, Cilia Flores, 69, sat beside him on the same bench in similar attire, also shackled, with a pained expression and visible facial injuries her lawyer later detailed.
The Hearing and the Charges
As the hearing proceeded, Maduro and Flores listened via headphones to a translator. Maduro took notes on a yellow pad while Judge Hellerstein, a 92-year-old Clinton appointee, read a summary of the indictment. The charges include four counts of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. When asked to identify himself, Maduro stood and declared through the translator: 'I am Nicolas Maduro Moros. I am President of the Republic of Venezuela. I am here, kidnapped, since Saturday January the 3rd.'
Judge Hellerstein swiftly interrupted, stating there was a 'time and place' for such arguments. Both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty. Maduro asserted his innocence and his status as Venezuela's legitimate president, while Flores identified herself as the 'First Lady of Venezuela'. The court set the next hearing date for March 17, with no application for bail made.
Legal Challenges and a Public 'Perp Walk'
Maduro's defence lawyer, Barry Pollack – who previously represented Julian Assange – signalled fierce legal battles ahead. He argued his client was the 'head of a sovereign state' with associated immunity and raised 'issues of legality with his military abduction'.
The day had begun with a very public display of Maduro's captivity. He and his wife were transported from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a Manhattan heliport, escorted by seven armed officers and three DEA agents in what amounted to a dramatic 'perp walk'. They were then driven to court amid intense security, with NYPD officers separating pro and anti-Maduro protesters outside.
The operation to capture Maduro was a high-risk mission by the US Army's elite Delta Force, authorised by President Donald Trump, who hailed it as 'brilliant'. The couple were reportedly seized from their Caracas compound in the early hours of Saturday, January 3rd, with explosions reported across the Venezuelan capital. They were later pictured aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
The White House has indicated it seeks Maduro's removal but not necessarily full regime change, a stance that has sidelined and angered Venezuela's traditional opposition. Meanwhile, countries including China, Russia, and Iran have condemned the operation, while some US allies have expressed alarm.
