Machado Plans Return as Venezuela Reels After Maduro’s Capture

Melbourne, January 6: Venezuela has been plunged into renewed political and security turmoil following the capture of president Nicolás Maduro by US forces, as opposition leader María Corina Machado announced plans to return home after months in hiding.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared for the first time in a New York court on Monday after being transferred under heavy guard from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a Manhattan courtroom. The deposed leader faces charges including narco-terrorism and weapons offences. He told the judge that he had been “kidnapped” by US authorities and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In Caracas, tensions have flared just days after the US operation. Multiple videos circulating on social media appear to show gunfire near the presidential palace, where Maduro had recently been based. Witnesses quoted by Agence France-Presse said the situation was later brought “under control”, but the incidents highlighted the fragile security environment gripping the capital.

Meanwhile, Switzerland has moved to freeze assets linked to Maduro and members of his inner circle. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said that from January 5, 2026, any assets held in Switzerland by Maduro and 37 associated individuals would be frozen for four years. The move is aimed at preventing the transfer of funds suspected to have been illegally obtained during a regime long accused of corruption. Swiss authorities stressed the decision was a precautionary legal measure, not a judgement on the legitimacy of Maduro’s capture, and said that if the money is eventually found to be stolen, it will be returned for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.

As international pressure mounts, Venezuela’s leading opposition figure María Corina Machado has vowed to return to the country. Speaking to Fox News from an undisclosed location, Machado said she plans to go back to Venezuela “as soon as possible”. She sharply criticised interim president Delcy Rodríguez, accusing her of being “one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption and narcotrafficking”.

Machado’s announcement adds further uncertainty to an already volatile situation, as Venezuela faces a decisive moment following the dramatic removal of Maduro and growing scrutiny from the international community.