The clanking of leg shackles echoed through a New York City courtroom moments before Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made his first appearance before a US judge.
As he entered the packed room filled with reporters and members of the public, Maduro declared that he had been “kidnapped”.
Shortly after proceedings began, Judge Alvin Hellerstein asked Maduro to confirm his identity so the hearing could formally start.
“I am Nicolás Maduro, President of the Republic of Venezuela,” he said calmly in Spanish, speaking through an interpreter. “I have been kidnapped since January 3. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.”
The judge, 92-year-old Alvin Hellerstein, quickly interrupted, telling Maduro that there would be “a time and a place” to address such claims, before moving the hearing forward.
