The only son of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has urged citizens to take to the streets in protest after his father was apprehended in a high-stakes US military raid.
Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, 35, remained defiant following the January 3 operation, vowing to do everything in his power to liberate his parents and resist the US-backed transition in Venezuela.
In a fiery address, Maduro Guerra—often referred to as “The Prince”—warned that those who “betrayed” his family by leaking his father’s location would eventually be identified.
The younger Maduro, a member of the National Assembly, faces his own legal battles; he was recently named in a superseding US indictment alongside his parents.
The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy and weapons offenses, with federal prosecutors alleging he played a pivotal role in a 25-year scheme to flood the United States with cocaine.
While Maduro Guerra calls for revolution, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as interim president by the Supreme Court. Though a longtime loyalist, she has reportedly signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue with Washington.
On Monday, January 5, 2026, the elder Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal court, where he pleaded not guilty and declared himself a “prisoner of war.” He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
