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Maduro brought to New York after being seized by US in Venezuela

Maduro brought to New York after being seized by US in Venezuela
By Brian Osgood, Caolán Magee, Urooba Jamal, Usaid Siddiqui, Alma Milisic, Farah Najjar and Nils Adler
Published On 3 Jan 2026

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4 Jan 2026 - 22:59
 (22:59 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

See our explainer on how the US raid that led to Nicolas Maduro’s capture unfolded, here.

Learn who Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is and how she came to lead the country here.

And read our breakdown of how Venezuela’s oil factors into US strategy here.

4 Jan 2026 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page will close soon. Here’s a look at the day’s main developments:

  • Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York after his abduction during a US attack on Caracas.
  • US President Donald Trump says that Washington will “run” Venezuela and tap its vast oil reserves, without providing details on how it will do so.
  • Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay have denounced US suggestions of “running” Venezuela, warning against any outside control or appropriation of the country’s resources.
  • Trump warned that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting leader, could face a “very big price” if she did not “do what’s right”.
  • Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino has backed Rodríguez as interim president, saying the armed forces are mobilised nationwide to defend sovereignty and confront “imperial aggression”.
  • Padrino condemned the US operation as a “cowardly kidnapping“, saying some of Maduro’s bodyguards were killed “in cold blood”.
4 Jan 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

Denmark PM urges Trump to stop threats to take over Greenland

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has urged Trump to stop threatening to ⁠take over Greenland, after the US president reiterated his wish to do so in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

“It makes absolutely ⁠no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any ‌of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom,” Frederiksen said in an emailed ‌statement.

“I would therefore strongly urge ‌the US stop ⁠the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another ‌people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”

Besides Venezuela, Trump told The Atlantic that other countries ‌may be subject to US intervention.

“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said.

4 Jan 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)
Explainer

What charges does Maduro and his family face?

Maduro is charged with his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices.

Maduro is facing the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in the Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. The new indictment, unsealed on Saturday, which adds charges against his wife, was filed under seal in the Southern District of New York just before Christmas.

Maduro is due to make his first appearance in court on Monday. A video posted on Saturday night on social media by a White House account showed Maduro smiling as he was escorted through a US Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York by two federal agents grasping his arms.

He is expected to be detained at a federal jail in Brooklyn while awaiting trial.

A supporter of abducted Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro holds a poster of him in Caracas on Sunday [AFP]
4 Jan 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)
Analysis

‘It’s not just about the oil’

Oil markets have not responded to Maduro’s abduction, as Venezuela currently produces, according to OPEC statistics, less than 1 percent of global production, says Cornelia Meyer, an economist and CEO at Meyer Resources.

Chevron, which operates in Venezuela, is exempt from sanctions under production and sharing agreements, and it pays the government in barrels rather than dollars, she told Al Jazeera.

However, she said that US refineries would be happy to get some more heavy crude, but this will take time.

“This is not a light switch… there’s been mismanagement… ageing infrastructure… Venezuela used to produce more than three million barrels a day, but now it produces less than a million barrels.”

However, Meyer added, “it’s not just about oil”, but also about the US’s new national security strategy, in which the United States seeks to challenge China, which dominates the mining industry.

4 Jan 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

WATCH: How the US attempted regime change in Venezuela

In less than 24 hours, the US bombed Venezuela, brazenly abducted President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their compound in Caracas, and whisked them to a detention centre in New York City.

Watch how the events unfolded overnight:

4 Jan 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

Venezuela’s military rallies behind Delcy Rodriguez

By John Holman

Reporting from Cucuta, Colombia

It’s important to have the military’s support. Under the time of Nicolas Maduro and Hugo Chavez before him, the support of the army was all-important, and, in some ways, it is what keeps this administration and government in place.

It’s the image as well that’s important. It wasn’t just Vladimir Padrino, the defence minister; there was a host of generals and military personnel behind him. There have been other senior members in the government who have come out and supported Delcy Rodriguez as she takes on this interim presidency.

So, the image they’re trying to give is a government that’s coalescing. Nicolas Maduro was often seen as sort of the cornerstone, a person who, as well as being the president, knew how to make everyone get on together.

Now they’re trying to do that without him, and it seems they are coming together around Delcy Rodriguez.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez [AFP]
4 Jan 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

‘This is reckless’: Democrat leader slams Venezuela attack

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer says Trump’s decision to strike Venezuela and abduct its leader was “unlawful and reckless”.

“The problem here is that there are so many unanswered questions… They’re so important in terms of where we go in the future. This could change our history for years. A: How long do they intend to be there? B: How many troops do we need after one day, after one week, after one year? How much is it going to cost, and what are the boundaries?” Schumer told reporters.

“So the American people are worried that this is creating an endless war. The very thing that Donald Trump campaigned against over and over and over again was no more endless wars, and right now, we’re headed right into one with no barriers, with no discussion. This is reckless.”

US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer [File: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]
4 Jan 2026 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Still busy at US airbase in Puerto Rico

By Shihab Rattansi

Reporting from Ceiba, Puerto Rico

We’re hearing from residents that there has been no letup in the sorties of US F-35 fighter jets and transport helicopters.

The question is whether this is the new normal now, here in Puerto Rico. This was a military base that had been shut down in 2004 and then reopened with a new focus on the Caribbean.

We see all of these pledges now for “force projection and dominance” of the Western Hemisphere, and indeed, there are a lot of questions about whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio really wants to strangle Cuba now as well.

There has been no letup in the commitment to maintain a heavy presence in the waters around the Caribbean.

Two F-35 fighter jets fly alongside amphibious assault ship USS Bataan [File: US Navy via AP]
4 Jan 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Venezuela’s oil, not alleged drug trafficking, caught Trump’s eye

By Maziar Motamedi

For weeks, Trump and his officials said the rhetoric and military posturing against Venezuela were aimed at countering the flow of narcotics.

But abundant evidence, including Trump’s own words in the aftermath of the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro, suggests that Washington’s true interest lies in Venezuela’s vast oil reserves – the largest in the world, estimated at about 303 billion barrels.

Francisco Rodriguez, former head of the Venezuelan National Assembly’s economic advisory, said that gold and oil reserves are among the country’s main hopes for economic recovery.

“If the US moves to remove the sanctions and clear the hurdles for investors to come back in, you can get the oil output to 2.5 million barrels per day in the scope of three to five years,” he told Al Jazeera, noting that production currently stands at below one million bpd.

Read more here.

4 Jan 2026 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Little Republican opposition to US strikes on Venezuela

Opposition to Trump’s Venezuela policy has yet to emerge within the Republican Party.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine called Nicolas Maduro a “narco-terrorist and international drug trafficker”, who should stand trial, even though “Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves”.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who often criticises military interventions, did not specifically oppose Trump’s actions. He wrote on social media that “time will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost”.

Many Democrats denounced Trump’s actions in Venezuela, and the Democratic National Committee quickly sought to raise money by blasting “another unconstitutional war from Trump”.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejected the Trump administration’s argument that it is combating drug crimes, saying the White House is instead focused on “oil and regime change” while seeking “to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs”.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the assault is part of an “old and obvious pattern”, where an “unpopular president – failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home – decides to launch a war for regime change abroad”.

4 Jan 2026 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

US believes it can bend Venezuela to its will

By Alan Fisher

Reporting from Washington DC

Donald Trump has given an interview to a US magazine, saying that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez must do what they expect of her, comply with the United States, or else, she could pay a very heavy price, perhaps even heavier than Maduro.

So, it’s very clear that the United States believes it has significant influence over Venezuela.

The US military hasn’t moved out of the Caribbean after the military buildup we’ve seen over the last couple of months, and instead, Trump is saying there’s a possibility of a second round of strikes. So, for the moment, the United States believes it has taken charge of Venezuela.

We are told there’s no army, no navy on the ground. There is, of course, the possibility of special forces somewhere in the country.

That means it would be difficult for them to exert a great deal of influence beyond the political at the moment, but it’s clear the US is taking on the running of a country that’s one-and-a-half times the size of Texas, with a population of 31 million people.

4 Jan 2026 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

Photos: Aftermath of US air strikes on Venezuela

Jesus Linares cleans his damaged apartment in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, a day after Nicolas Maduro was abducted [AFP]
Maikel Linares salvages belongings from the rubble after the US air strike [Maxwell Briceno/Reuters]
Jorge Cardona looks for belongings in the rubble of a damaged building hit by the US [Gaby Oraa/Reuters]
People survey the debris of a bombed building following the US attack [Gaby Oraa/Reuters]

4 Jan 2026 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)
Analysis

Rodriguez has ‘no intention of negotiating’ with US

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has made it clear she won’t negotiate with the US, contradicting claims by Donald Trump, an analyst says.

Rodriguez appeared “with complete serenity” at a news conference shortly after Trump spoke, insisting that Venezuela “is not the colony of any country”.

Chris Gilbert, a professor at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, told Al Jazeera that she framed the government’s authority as rooted in its connection with the people and its democratic legitimacy.

Rodriguez outlined a defence strategy based on an alliance between the military, the people, and the police, pointing to the mobilisation of militias in neighbourhoods across the country.

“There are more than four million militia members,” Gilbert said, describing this as evidence of the government’s popular support.

Gilbert said Venezuelans have historically rejected foreign intervention and would continue to do so, regardless of threats from Washington.

Members of the Bolivarian militia in Caracas in September 2025 [AFP]
4 Jan 2026 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)
Analysis

China losing access to Venezuela’s crude won’t be ‘huge blow’

Venezuela fits into China’s broader energy diversification plan, but Venezuela’s crude oil imports account for only a very small share of China’s overall oil imports, an analyst says.

Therefore, rerouting oil is “not going to cause a huge blow to China’s energy security”, Zongyuan Zoe Lee, a fellow at the China studies programme at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera from New York City.

However, it does “present questions” to China’s independent refineries, the so-called teapot refineries – small, independent oil refiners, mainly in Shandong province, known for processing discounted crude.

“China has built a very robust domestic export control regime, but it is questionable to what extent China may be willing to escalate this in an effort to punish any actions against China,” said Lee.

“This is not necessarily a priority in the broader context of the US-China relationship, and any mishandling of the current situation risks further escalation, so Beijing is looking to handle this measure very carefully.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Venezuela’s abducted leader, Nicolas Maduro, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, in September 2023 [Miraflores Palace via Reuters]
4 Jan 2026 - 19:30
 (19:30 GMT)

Venezuela’s PDVSA asks some joint ventures to cut back oil output: Report

Venezuela’s state-run Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is asking some of its joint ventures to cut back crude output ⁠by shutting down oilfields or well clusters as onshore stocks mount and the company runs out of diluents amid an ⁠export paralysis, Reuters news agency reports.

Oil exports from the OPEC country – whose deposed President Nicolas Maduro and ‌first lady were abducted by US forces on Saturday, unleashing a deep ‌political crisis – remain at a standstill ‌following the ⁠announced US blockade of all sanctioned tankers going in and out ‌of its waters and the seizure of two oil cargoes.

US President Donald Trump said the United States would for now manage the South American nation of about 30 million people plus its oil reserves, the largest in the world. But he gave few details of how.

4 Jan 2026 - 19:15
 (19:15 GMT)

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay reject outside ‘control’

Five Latin American countries have warned against any outside bid for “control” of Venezuela after US President Donald Trump suggested Washington would “run” the country and access its oil.

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay in a joint statement expressed their “rejection” of US forces’ ousting of Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela’s president and “concern about any attempt at governmental control or administration or outside appropriation of natural or strategic resources”.

Maduro’s allies are still in charge of the government and have denounced their ⁠leader’s kidnapping as part of an imperialist oil grab. The defence minister said earlier that the military is ready to confront the “aggression”.

4 Jan 2026 - 19:00
 (19:00 GMT)
Analysis

Venezuelan army backing of Rodriguez ‘extremely important’

Chris Gilbert, a professor at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, says the military’s announcement that it recognises Delcy Rodriguez as the country’s leader is “extremely important” and reflects continuity in its support for the current government.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Caracas, Gilbert said the armed forces have consistently backed the constitutionally elected government of Maduro, and now Rodriguez as acting president.

He rejected suggestions of unrest on the streets, saying there’s a “complete sensation of calm” in the capital.

“There are no manifestations of the opposition, no manifestations against the government,” Gilbert said, adding demonstrations he has seen are “in favour of the government” and there’s “a complete sense of control”.

Gilbert said senior military officials reaffirmed loyalty to the government early on, and described the seizure of Maduro by US forces as “illegal and illegitimate”. They described the move as an expression of “colonial power” that no country respecting sovereignty could accept.

A supporter of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro at a demonstration in Caracas on Sunday [AFP]
4 Jan 2026 - 18:45
 (18:45 GMT)

The long history of US regime change

When the United States carries out a regime change, it never ends well. Tony Karon, AJ+ Editorial Lead, looks at the many, many times the US has decided who gets to run a country.

4 Jan 2026 - 18:30
 (18:30 GMT)
Houthi

Trump warns Venezuela’s Rodriguez could face ‘bigger price’ than Maduro

US President Donald Trump says Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez may pay ⁠a bigger price than ousted leader Nicolas ‌Maduro “if she doesn’t do what’s ‌right”, according ‌to ⁠an interview with The Atlantic ‌magazine.

“If [Delcy Rodriguez] doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” said Trump.

The US leader was responding to what he described as Rodriguez’s rejection of the armed US intervention that led to the capture of Maduro.

Trump initially praised Rodriguez on Saturday after US forces seized Maduro and his wife. Rodriguez said later, however, that her country would defend its natural resources.

The US president defended his decision to take ‌Maduro by force, telling the magazine: “You know, rebuilding there and regime ‌change, anything you want to ⁠call it, is better than what you have right now. Can’t get any worse.”

Trump also said other countries ‌may be subject to US intervention. “We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said of the island that is part of Denmark, a NATO country.