Plane carrying Venezuela's Maduro lands in New York after US operation in Caracas

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores were taken off a plane in New York Saturday, after being forcibly transferred there following a late-night US operation in Caracas.

According to US media reports, Maduro and Flores are expected to be transferred by helicopter to a jail just outside New York City.

Footage aired by US media outlets showed Maduro surrounded by law enforcement officers as he was escorted off the plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base, while Flores was not clearly visible.

US forces captured and flew Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife early Saturday in a dramatic overnight operation, President Donald Trump announced, declaring that the US would run Venezuela until a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" is secured.

The Maduros are accused of trafficking "tons of cocaine" into the US, along with other crimes, in a new indictment unsealed early Saturday by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

Critics warn the operation violates international law, bypasses Congress, and risks further instability across Venezuela and the region.