US-Venezuela tensions MAJOR UPDATE: President Nicolas Maduro to appear before US federal court, Trump says ‘we’re in charge’

New York: Amid the escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are going to appear before a federal judge today, January 5. The U.S. authorities recently confirmed that the case of the Venezuelan President will be heard in New York’s Southern District, CBS News reported.

Maduro and his wife appear before the court at around 12 pm.

First Court Appearance

It is to be noted that this will be Maduro’s first appearance at the court after US military captured him and brought him to US.

Both reached New York on Saturday afternoon, several hours after they were removed from their residence in Caracas, taken to the USS Iwo Jima warship, and later flown to the United States to face criminal charges.

Maduro arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Centre, a federal prison in Brooklyn, at around 8:52 pm ET on Saturday. As of Saturday night, he was not expected to be held in a separate wing, while the details of his wife’s detention status were not known, CBS News reported.

Locked In Special Prison

The prison was built in the 1990s to combat prison overcrowding. The facility has housed people, including singer R Kelly, “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, one-time cryptocurrency whiz kid Sam Bankman-Fried and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Suspected cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia was also held there as he awaited trial on murder and drug trafficking charges, as per CNN.

In an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York against Maduro, along with members of his family and cabinet, the United States has accused the South American leader of conspiring to engage in allleged narco-terrorism and to import cocaine.

As per reports the Venezuelan President is also charged with possessing machine guns and weapons.

(with ANI Inputs)