Nicolas Maduro Maintains His Innocence in First Appearance in US Court, Says He’s a Prisoner of War
- Nicolás Maduro maintained that he was innocent and claimed that he was actually a prisoner of war who was kidnapped from his home
- Maduro, the former President of Venezuela, made his first appearance at the United States District Court in Manhattan on 5 January 2026
- Social media users weighed in on Maduro's first court appearance and his claims, sharing mixed reactions to them
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
MANHATTAN - Nicolás Maduro has maintained his innocence, claiming that he’s a prisoner of war and a decent man.
Maduro, the former President of Venezuela, made his first appearance at the United States District Court in Manhattan on Monday, 05 January 2026. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces on Saturday, 3 January, from their home in Caracas.
Following Maduro's capture, United States President Donald Trump also threatened the president of Colombia and warned Mexico and Cuba as well.
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Maduro pleads not guilty to charges
During their first appearance, Maduro and his wife faced charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy as well as weapons charges. According to the indictment, they have enriched themselves by working with international drug traffickers to ship illicit drugs into the US for the past 25 years. Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
When asked by the judge to confirm that he was indeed Maduro, he said in Spanish that he was still the President of Venezuela who had been kidnapped. Delcy Rodríguez, who was the country’s vice-president, has since been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president.
Source: Getty Images
Maduro claims he is a prisoner of war
The court appearance reached a heated moment towards the end when a member in the gallery addressed Maduro in Spanish, telling him that he would ‘pay for what he had done’.
Maduro turned to the man and replied that he was a ‘kidnapped president’ and a ‘prisoner of war’. He was then escorted out of the courtroom in shackles, behind his wife.
Source: Getty Images
How did social media users respond to Maduro’s statement?
Maduro’s comments drew mixed reactions, with some showing support for him and others criticising him.
Those supporting him:
@Anura_Indo urged:
“Please let the jury find him not guilty. It would be so funny.
@thibo_thash4 stated:
“He was kidnapped.”
@ulysses_barker urged:
“Free him.”
@localcheetowife claimed:
“He’s a kidnapping victim on behalf of Exxon and hedge funds.”
Those against him:
@TheBlckGenius said:
“He's the first prisoner of the shortest war on record.”
@Wealth_WZRD added:
“Calling yourself a prisoner of war after imprisoning an entire country is impressive levels of delusion.”
@ErikaC47 claimed:
“Maduro saying he is the President of Venezuela is peak delusion.”
@Scarlettsecho said:
“Decent men don’t steal elections, pal.”
@mlgjrlaw2029 claimed:
“Well, he isn’t the President of Venezuela. He never was. He definitely isn’t a decent man by starving his own citizens, arresting political opponents, arresting his own people for speaking against his tyrannical regime, and assisting in drug trafficking operations.”
Colombian President responds to Trump's threats
Briefly News reported that the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, hit back against United States President Donald Trump.
Petro's comments came after Trump accused him of being a drug trafficker and threatened military action against Mexico.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also responded to the United Nations' criticism of the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
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Source: Briefly News
