Maduro Makes First Public Comments After Arrest

Nicolás Maduro, the socialist leader of Venezuela, spoke publicly for the first time on Saturday night since his arrest while a gunman was taken into the Drug Enforcement Agency’s headquarters in New York City. The incident sparked intense reactions from onlookers.

His remarks were brief and aimed at the agent accompanying him, where he wished a “Happy New Year,” as seen in videos and photos shared online.

In a black outfit, complete with sweats and a hat, Maduro was handcuffed and escorted through the Chelsea facility holding a water bottle before being taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Footage released by the White House reveals him saying, “Good night and Happy New Year” to the staff present as he was led away.

Later reports noted that hundreds of revelers gathered outside the Brooklyn jail, chanting and celebrating as Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were apprehended on federal drug-terrorism charges.

People in the crowd, filled with applause and jeers, directed shouts of “Down with the dictator” and “Shame on you” at the detained couple. Among the protesters was Rony Chirinos, a 21-year-old Venezuelan who had waited in the cold for more than an hour. He expressed satisfaction at seeing Maduro’s downfall but stressed that the regime’s collapse was still a work in progress.

Chirinos, who relocated to New York three years ago to escape the Maduro rule, said, “I want everything to collapse. I want no one left.”

According to earlier reports, Maduro and Flores were detained following a series of explosions in Caracas. President Trump confirmed the operation in a social media post, stating that it was a coordinated effort by U.S. law enforcement to capture both Maduro and his wife.

The U.S. has alleged that Maduro has been a key player in an international cocaine trafficking network known as “The Cartel of the Sun,” which has aimed to inundate the U.S. with drugs for several years.