Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has arrived at a federal courthouse in Manhattan for a court appearance.
It follows his weekend capture as US president Donald Trump left open the possibility of another military incursion.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized in a shocking pre-dawn raid at a compound on Saturday during an assault on Caracas. At least 40 people, including civilians and Venezuelan military members, reportedly died in the attack.
Footage from New York early on Monday showed Mr Maduro and his wife being led by armed officers, handcuffed and dressed in boiler suits, to a helicopter to transfer them from a detention centre in Brooklyn to a court appearance in Manhattan.
In New York, charging papers against Mr Maduro allege that he headed a “corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking”.
The US president has called the weekend attack on Venezuela, in which Mr Maduro was deposed and captured, a “brilliant operation” and has suggested it could be a blueprint for other countries in Latin America, primarily Colombia.
Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday that he could order another strike if Venezuela does not co-operate with US efforts to open up its oil industry and stop drug trafficking. He also threatened military action in Colombia and Mexico and said Cuba’s communist regime “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own.
The Colombian and Mexican embassies in Washington did not immediately return requests for comment.
In a conciliatory message on Instagram on Sunday, Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said she hoped to build “respectful relations” with Mr Trump.
Nicolás Maduro arrives at the Wall Street heliport ahead of his appearance in federal court in New York. Photograph: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg 
An armoured vehicle carrying Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores through the streets of New York. Photograph: Stefan Jeremiah/AP
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Sunday the US would not take control of Venezuela but would enforce an “oil quarantine,” contrasting with Mr Trump’s earlier pledge to “run” the country until new leadership is installed.
Mr Trump later reiterated his comments that the US would take control, telling reporters on Air Force One “we’re going to run everything” with elections “at the right time”.
Hours after Mr Rubio’s comments, Ms Rodriguez issued a public message to the US, asserting Venezuela’s “right to peace, development, sovereignty, and a future”.
“We prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference,” she said in a post on Instagram.
“These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of co-operation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community co-existence.”
Trump administration officials have portrayed the seizure as a law-enforcement action to hold Mr Maduro accountable for criminal charges filed in 2020 that accuse him of narco-terrorism conspiracy.
[ Trump attacked Venezuela to show that America means businessOpens in new window ]
But Mr Trump himself has said other factors were at play, saying the raid was prompted in part by an influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the United States and the country’s decision to nationalise US oil interests decades ago.
“We’re taking back what they stole,” he said aboard Air Force One as he returned on Sunday to Washington from Florida. “We’re in charge.”
Oil companies will return to Venezuela and rebuild the country’s petroleum industry, he said. “They’re going to spend billions of dollars and they’re going to take the oil out of the ground,” he said.
[ How would Donald Trump tap ‘tremendous’ wealth from Venezuelan oil?Opens in new window ]
Global oil prices edged up in choppy trade as investors considered the implications of US military action in Venezuela, while stock markets rose in Asia.
Mr Maduro (63), faces charges that accuse him of providing support to major drug trafficking groups, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang.
US prosecutors say he directed cocaine trafficking routes, used the military to protect shipments, sheltered violent trafficking groups and used presidential facilities to move drugs.
The charges, first filed in 2020, were updated on Saturday to include his wife, Cilia Flores, who is accused of ordering kidnappings and murders.
Mr Maduro has denied wrongdoing, and it could be several months before he stands trial.
The United States has deemed him an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.
[ EU leaders cautious over Venezuela amid fears of losing Trump on UkraineOpens in new window ]
But Mr Trump has dismissed the idea of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacks support. Ms Machado was banned from the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez has a mandate to take the presidency and some international observers say he overwhelmingly won that vote.
Though Mr Maduro has few allies on the world stage, many countries have questioned the legality of seizing a foreign head of state and called on the US to respect international law.
The UN security council planned to meet on Monday to discuss the attack. – Reuters/Guardian