Maduro posts first photos from US detention since capture

Maduro posted the two photographs on his social media accounts Sunday, providing the first known images of him inside U.S. custody since American forces captured him and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a military operation in Caracas in January. The photographs show Maduro wearing a gray tracksuit and white athletic shoes and appearing noticeably thinner than in earlier public appearances. Maduro said the images were intended as a message to his family and supporters, while his social media post expressed confidence about his future and Venezuela's prospects.

Although the photographs were published Aug. 30, camera data indicated they were taken June 25, according to reporting by ABC and CBS, making them more than two months old. It remains unclear who took the photographs or how they were transmitted from the detention facility, and ABC said it could not independently verify when or where they were taken, although it confirmed the images were not generated using artificial intelligence. Maduro and Flores are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and face U.S. charges involving drug trafficking and firearms offenses, which they deny. Their trial is scheduled to begin June 1, 2027.