A plane carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, has arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, according to a federal official.
Maduro is expected to face drugs and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court next week.
President Donald Trump said the US will indefinitely “run the country” after Maduro’s ouster and seize Venezuela’s massive oil reserves, recruiting American companies to invest billions of dollars in the gutted industry.
Trump says US troops will have a presence in Venezuela “as it pertains to oil.”
The President had told reporters earlier that the US is working with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who has demanded Maduro’s release and insisted he remains the country’s legitimate president.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has called for an opposition candidate to assume power.
Venezuelans in the capital have voiced mixed reactions to the US operation, while those abroad have been seen celebrating the strongman’s ouster.
Source: CNN
