In the very early morning hours on January 3, 2026 the United States carried out air strikes on Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. They were put on a plane to fly to New York to face charges that linked Maduro to drug trafficking and terrorism. According to CNN he is expected in federal court in Manhattan in the coming week.

The plane carrying Maduro and his wife arrived late the afternoon on January 3rd in Newburgh, NY at Stewart Air National Guard Base.  That was just the first stop of the busy night for Maduro who was taken from the plane to a helicopter.

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The President of Venezuela took a helicopter from Newburgh, NY to Manhattan. That is where is expected to remain until he is arraigned in US federal court.

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A helicopter carrying Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro arrives in Manhattan on January 03, 2026 in New York City. Maduro will be arraigned in US federal court in New York on narcoterrorism charges. President Trump confirmed in a news conference that the U.S. military carried out a large-scale strike in Caracas overnight resulting in the capture of Maduro and Flores. (Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
A helicopter carrying Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro arrives in Manhattan on January 03, 2026 in New York City. Maduro will be arraigned in US federal court in New York on narcoterrorism charges. President Trump confirmed in a news conference that the U.S. military carried out a large-scale strike in Caracas overnight resulting in the capture of Maduro and Flores. (Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
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President Trump confirmed that the US did carry out the air strikes on Caracas, the Capital of Venezuela, in the overnight hours.

As of right now the United States military has taken over leadership of the country until they figure out a solution for leadership.

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Gallery Credit: Michael Karolyi