Watch | US releases handcuffed ‘perp-walk’ video of Venezuelan president Maduro

Trump released the image of captured Maduro

• US releases footage of Maduro in handcuffs as he is taken into American custody
• Maduro to be held at NYC's MDC, known for poor conditions and notable inmates
• Venezuela's Supreme Court appoints Delcy Rodriguez as acting president.

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The United States has released footage showing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs during what officials described as a “perp-walk” as he was taken into American custody. The short video clip was shared on X by Rapid Response 47, with the caption “Perp walked.”

Another purported video that surfaced showed Maduro getting off the plane at New York's Stewart Airport earlier today.

According to CNN, Maduro is set to be transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in New York City. The facility has a notorious reputation, having been described as “disgusting” and marked by “horrifying” conditions.

Reports have highlighted chronic understaffing, frequent power outages, inmate violence and unsanitary surroundings at the jail, which was constructed in the 1990s to ease prison overcrowding.

MDC has previously housed a number of high-profile detainees, including singer R Kelly, former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried and music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs.

CNN also noted that suspected cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia had been held at the facility while awaiting trial on murder and drug trafficking charges.

Perp walked.pic.twitter.com/34iIsFUDdG

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 4, 2026

In Venezuela, scenes of celebration were reported among opposition supporters in the hours following the abduction of Maduro and his wife. At the same time, political uncertainty deepened as US President Donald Trump publicly distanced himself from opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Asked at a press conference whether Machado would play a role in a post-Maduro government, Trump said he had not been in touch with her and remarked that while she was a “very nice woman,” she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to govern.

Trump instead suggested he could work with Delcy Rodriguez, a longtime Maduro loyalist. Machado, a former deputy of Venezuela’s National Assembly, had earlier called for the immediate installation of Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as president.

JUST IN: First video released of Nicolás Maduro getting off the plane at New York's Stewart Airport earlier today. pic.twitter.com/y4SWCFvuIJ — AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) January 4, 2026

Most Western governments consider Gonzalez the legitimate winner of Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Supreme Court has ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to take over as acting president. The court said Maduro was in a “material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions” after his removal by the United States, announcing the decision late Saturday night, local time.