NEW YORK: Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro was back in a New York court on Thursday for his second appearance since his capture by US forces in an extraordinary nighttime raid.

Maduro, 63, and wife Cilia Flores have been held in a Brooklyn jail for almost three months after American commandos snatched the pair from their compound in Caracas in early January.

The stunning operation deposed the strongman who had led Venezuela since 2013 and has since forced the oil-rich country to largely bend to the will of US President Donald Trump.

Maduro has declared himself a “prisoner of war” and pleaded not guilty to his four counts of “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Trump said on Thursday that “other cases are going to be brought” against Maduro, without giving more details. “He’ll, you know, I guess be given a fair trial,” the US president added during a cabinet meeting at the White House.

Venezuela’s government is seeking to cover the costs, but because of Washington’s sanctions, his lawyer Barry Pollack must obtain a US licence that has not been issued.

Pollack argued in a court submission that the licence requirement violated Maduro’s constitutional right to legal representation and demanded the case be thrown out on procedural grounds.

‘Desperate’ for justice

A police convoy believed to be carrying Maduro and Flores left the jail at around 4am to reach the Manhattan court, journalists saw. Several backers and opponents of Maduro gathered outside the courthouse, including some with a large inflatable doll depicting him in an orange prison jumpsuit with handcuffs.

“We are desperate for any sort of justice regarding everything that we’ve been through,” said Carlos Egana, 30, who supports the prosecution of Maduro. At one point, a brief scuffle broke out between protesters before police intervened and escorted a man from the area.

Detained in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal prison known for unsanitary conditions, Maduro is reportedly alone in a cell with no access to the internet or newspapers.

A source close to the Venezuelan government said the incarcerated Maduro reads the Bible and is referred to as “president” by some of his fellow detainees. He is only allowed to communicate by phone with his family and lawyers for a maximum of 15 minutes per call, the source added.

“The lawyers told us he is strong. He said we must not be sad,” said his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, adding his father told him: “We are fine, we are fighters.”

US pressure

Maduro and his wife were forcibly taken by US commandos in the early hours of January 3 in airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital backed by warplanes and a heavy naval deployment. At least 83 people died and more than 112 people were injured in the assault, according to Venezuelan officials. No US service members were killed.

At his first US court appearance in January, Maduro struck a defiant tone as he identified himself as the president of Venezuela despite being captured. The South American country is now led by Delcy Rodriguez, who had been Maduro’s vice president since 2018.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2026