Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro said he was “standing firm” in a statement shared on social media Sunday along with photos from the New York prison where he has been held since his capture by American forces. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during a U.S. military operation in Caracas in January following President Donald Trump’s months-long campaign against his regime, including a series of lethal strikes on boats off Venezuela’s coast. Maduro shared two photographs of himself in a gray tracksuit making peace signs with his hands.
He also appeared to have lost weight since he was taken into U.S. custody earlier this year. Even though the two photographs of Maduro were only shared Sunday, a timestamp on the bottom of each image indicates that they were taken on June 25 — a day after two powerful earthquakes killed more than 6,500 people in Venezuela. Venezuela will rise again,” Maduro wrote.
It was not immediately clear when the message was written. But social media users were quick to react to the post — with many questioning how it was even shared. This is some weird s***,” one perplexed social media user wrote on X.
Another user questioned the legitimacy, writing, “How can a detained person in the US take a photo? Is this true?” Other social media users remarked over the timing of the post, which came days after Trump announced an alleged oil deal his administration reached with Venezuela over the weekend. The deal would give the U.S. majority control of over 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan proven oil reserves.
Coincidence or Causality?” one X user questioned. Another seemed to agree, writing, “Exactly at the time the oil deal with Venezuela gets announced. Talk about a remarkably extraordinary coincidence.” Maduro’s update comes two days after his successor, interim President Delcy Rodriguz, announced a “historic” oil agreement allowing the U.S. to operate in Venezuela’s oil fields.
Federal prosecutors allege that Maduro led a conspiracy to ship drugs from Venezuela to the U.S. with fishing boats and container ships that were sent through the Caribbean and Central America. Maduro is accused of utilizing narco-terrorist groups, including cartels and gangs like Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has targeted as part of the president’s anti-immigration agenda. The ousted Venezuelan leader’s capture followed a months-long military campaign against his regime that included a series of deadly attacks on boats off Venezuela’s coast and a fleet of U.S. naval vessels and other military assets in the region.
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