Photo credit: Daily Express
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro spoke for the first time about 24 hours after US forces seized him during an operation in Caracas.
Daily Star reports that he spoke as a heavy presence of local and federal law officers surrounded him.
A convoy of dark SUVs, patrol cars, and white vans departed the area following the arrival of helicopters, with sources confirming Maduro was amongst those transported.
Shortly afterwards, officials transferred the detained Venezuelan leader to another helicopter bound for a detention centre in Brooklyn. He reached the holding facility just before 9pm on Saturday.
“Good night. Happy New Year,” a shackled Maduro said whilst being escorted to his cell by several DEA officers, reports the Express US.
Maduro is due to appear before a federal court next week, where he will face numerous charges concerning narcotics trafficking and unlawful arms dealing.
According to CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller, the booking procedure had already begun before the Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, stepped off the plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York.
Miller explained that their biometrics, fingerprints, and photos would be collected before their details are entered into the US Customs and Border Protection system.
Groups of up to 100 demonstrators took to the streets, shouting slogans and brandishing Venezuelan flags in key cities, including Washington, DC, New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Some protesters endured freezing temperatures and heavy rainfall to express their disapproval of the military intervention.
