US Captures Venezuelan President Maduro, Prompting UN Security Council Emergency Session
Updated (3 articles)
US Forces Capture Venezuelan Leader and Wife On the weekend of January 3‑4 2026, U.S. troops seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from a Caracas military base, placed them aboard the USS Iwo Jima, and transferred them to New York for prosecution on narco‑terrorism charges, with Maduro appearing shackled in a Manhattan courtroom on January 4 [1][3].
International Bodies Convene to Address Legal Implications An emergency UN Security Council meeting convened on January 5 2026, requested by Colombia and backed by Russia and China, to debate the operation’s compliance with international law; Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres warned it set a dangerous precedent, while Denmark, Colombia and Russia issued strong condemnations [2][3].
US Officials Defend Operation as Lawful Enforcement President Donald Trump authorized the raid, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to enforce an oil quarantine on sanctioned Venezuelan tankers; U.S. envoy Mike Waltz framed the action as a precise, sovereign law‑enforcement measure, citing self‑defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter [1][2].
Allied Nations and UK Call for Legal Compliance British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper urged the United States to respect international‑law obligations in a call with Rubio, while the UK Parliament split along party lines over condemnation; Denmark and other ambassadors echoed calls for adherence to legal norms [1][2].
Analysts Warn of Destabilizing Precedent Security experts warned the unilateral raid could destabilise global politics and embolden actors such as Vladimir Putin to ignore international agreements, raising concerns about the erosion of the rules‑based order [1].
Sources
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1.
BBC: Foreign Secretary Cooper urges US to respect international law after Maduro's capture: Highlights Cooper’s appeal to Rubio, the split Commons debate, and broader UK concerns about transatlantic relations, including a remark on Greenland’s future .
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2.
The Hindu: UN Security Council meets after US Venezuela operation as global reaction divides: Details the emergency UN session, divergent diplomatic reactions, Guterres’s warning, and Rubio’s oil‑quarantine pledge .
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Newsweek: UN Security Council to meet Monday after US capture of Maduro: Focuses on the upcoming UN meeting requested by Colombia, visual evidence of Maduro’s capture, Venezuela’s claim of a colonial war, and the U.S. self‑defence justification .
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Timeline
2025 – The United States raises the bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, signaling intensified pressure ahead of any direct action [2].
Oct 2025 – The Trump administration justifies its maritime interdictions near Venezuela under Article 51 of the UN Charter, claiming self‑defence against drug‑trafficking vessels [2].
Jan 3, 2026 – President Donald Trump orders a covert operation that captures Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas; they appear blindfolded, handcuffed, and in a grey Nike sweatsuit on a U.S. warship, with the footage posted to social media [1][2].
Jan 4, 2026 – Maduro appears shackled in a Manhattan courtroom, declares he has been “kidnapped,” and faces a U.S. narco‑terrorism indictment, marking the first public appearance of the deposed leader in U.S. custody [1][3].
Jan 5, 2026 – The UN Security Council convenes an emergency session at the request of Colombia, backed by Russia and China, to address the Venezuelan crisis and the legality of the U.S. raid [2][3].
Jan 5, 2026 – U.N. Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres warns that the U.S. intervention sets a dangerous precedent for international law and the rules‑based order [3][1].
Jan 5, 2026 – U.S. envoy Mike Waltz defends the raid as a “surgical law‑enforcement” action, arguing it targets a specific threat without delegitimising the operation through the UN [3].
Jan 5, 2026 – Ambassadors from Denmark, Colombia and Russia issue forceful statements: Denmark stresses inviolability of borders, Colombia calls the raid “the worst interference in decades,” and Russia condemns it as a return to lawlessness [3].
Jan 5, 2026 – Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledges to enforce an existing oil quarantine on Venezuelan tankers, using the leverage to press policy goals in Caracas [3].
Jan 5, 2026 – UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper tells U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the United States must respect international law, urging compliance while the UN Security Council debates the issue [1].
Jan 5, 2026 – A stormy Commons debate reveals a split: Conservatives such as Kemi Badenoch and Jeremy Hunt defend the U.S. motive, while Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP demand an explicit condemnation of the breach of international law [1].
Jan 5, 2026 – Security experts warn the unilateral raid destabilises global politics and could embolden leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin to ignore international agreements [1].
Jan 5, 2026 – Cooper adds that Greenland’s future belongs to Greenlanders and Danes, a comment that follows renewed U.S. speculation about annexing the territory and raises broader NATO cohesion concerns [1].