Nicolas Maduro’s X account posted Wednesday for the first time since August 2024, pleading for the return of kidnapped individuals after 11 days.
Photo : AP
Nicolas Maduro’s official X account surprised users early Wednesday when it shared a post for the first time since the Venezuelan leader was taken into custody by the US. The previous post from Maduro’s X handle was dated August 9, 2024. “Eleven days have passed since their kidnapping. We want them back,” it read, signed by Nicolas Maduro Moros, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and Cilia Flores, First Combatant. Online users questioned if the ousted leader accessed a phone from his new US cell.
US military including Delta Force operators captured Maduro and Flores in Caracas days earlier. They now reside in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, or MDC, booked Saturday on criminal charges. The facility gained notoriety for power outages, staffing shortages, and detainee grievances.
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) January 14, 2026
The couple joins a roster of prominent inmates. Sean “Diddy” Combs, R. Kelly, Martin Shkreli, Ghislaine Maxwell, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman passed through its doors. Rappers Fetty Wap and Tekashi 6ix9ine served time there too.
Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez occupied MDC before Donald Trump’s 2025 pardon. The jail’s conditions drew lawsuits and federal scrutiny. Maduro’s post arrived amid these reports.
Brooklyn Jail Houses High-Profile Venezuelans
Operation Absolute Resolve facilitated the Caracas raid. US indictments target Maduro on unspecified crimes. Meanwhile, Flores faces parallel charges as first lady. As far as the prison is concerned, MDC staff shortages plague operations. Power failures hit repeatedly. Detainees are known to file routine complaints over basics.
