President Donald Trump released the first image of Venezuela’s ousted dictator, Nicolás Maduro, after his capture. In the photo, Maduro is shown blindfolded and wearing soundproof headphones, his hands cuffed as he clutches a plastic bottle of water. President Trump shared the image on his Truth Social account as a wave of fake arrest photos circulated online.
Wearing a Nike sweatsuit, he is seen standing aboard the U.S. Navy’s Iwo Jima, en route to New York, where he is expected to face prosecution on narco-terrorism charges. A mostly cropped-out law enforcement officer can be seen standing beside Maduro on the ship, appearing to grip his arm as he is escorted.
First Shot after Arrest
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Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, does not appear in the photo but was also arrested and charged in the alleged narco-terrorism plot and is being extradited to the Southern District of New York, where she is expected to face prosecution as well.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado celebrated the U.S. capture of Maduro on Saturday, marking her first public response by declaring that the “hour of freedom has arrived” for the country.
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“The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to govern our country. We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” Machado wrote in a statement.
“We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”
Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, now appears ready to step in and lead the country following the ouster of Maduro.
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Jorge Jraissati, president of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News Digital that Machado and González would likely step in to form a transitional government to guide the country forward after Maduro’s capture by the United States. “They have the support of 70% of Venezuelans,” Jraissati told Fox News Digital. “They would lead this transition period.”
New Face of Transition
Jraissati said he believes Machado has both the “capacity and integrity” needed to guide Venezuela through the upheaval of seeing its long-time authoritarian leader suddenly removed from power. “[The] key will be her ability to surround herself with young and capable Venezuelans instead of career politicians,” he told the outlet.
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The United States recognized González as Venezuela’s rightful leader after he defeated Maduro by a margin of more than two to one in the 2024 election. González had stepped in as the opposition candidate after Machado was barred from running by the Maduro-controlled high court.
Maduro dismissed the results and refused to step aside, holding on to power.
María Corina Machado has not yet publicly addressed Maduro’s capture by U.S. forces. However, she told Fox News Digital last month that “I am absolutely grateful to President Donald Trump for every gesture, every signal and every moment that he has stood with the Venezuelan people.”
“I have watched it very closely, and I know what it has meant for those who are fighting to reclaim democracy and freedom in our country,” she added.
Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, one of Maduro’s closest allies, is currently at the helm of the government.
This came as it was revealed that Maduro and his wife, Cilia, were captured by a specialized Delta Force unit while they were asleep in their bedroom. The left-wing leader was arrested in the early hours of Saturday and stood trial in New York City on drug and weapons charges, according to CNN.
A source told the network that the coordinated operation targeted five locations across Venezuela, including three in the capital, Caracas, and was carried out without any loss of life.
Trump said that the Maduros were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an assault ship, and later flown to New York City, where he is set to face trial along with his wife.
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Trump praised the mission as “brilliant” in a short interview with The New York Times early Saturday. He later phoned into Fox News’ morning show Fox & Friends, sounding energized as he described watching the operation unfold.
“I mean, I watched it literally like I was watching a television show,” he said. “If you would’ve seen the speed, the violence — it was an amazing thing,” he said.
Maduro is set to appear in a Manhattan court on Saturday and will likely be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the same federal jail currently housing Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
