World · North America · 52 mins ago
Nicolás Maduro studies religious texts in New York jail
Nicolás Maduro is studying religious and philosophical texts while held in a New York jail, people familiar with his circumstances said.
The former Venezuelan president has also met with prison chaplains, including a priest and a rabbi.
He spends much of his time reading, including the Bible and the Quran, according to those people.
Maduro has publicly said he has Sephardic Jewish ancestry, but people close to him said he showed little interest in Judaism before his capture.
US forces captured Maduro and his wife in Caracas on January 3, after years of pressure on him to leave power; both are now detained in Brooklyn and have pleaded not guilty.
Maduro faces US charges including facilitating cocaine trafficking, and his trial is expected next year; his wife is also charged.
Nicolás Maduro is studying religious and philosophical texts while held in a New York jail, according to people familiar with his circumstances.
He has also met with prison chaplains, including a priest and a rabbi.
People familiar with his time in jail said he spends much of his time reading, including the Bible and the Quran.
Maduro was captured in a US military operation in Caracas on January 3 and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
He is expected to face trial in 2027 on charges including facilitating cocaine trafficking to the United States, which he denies.
- Who
- Nicolás Maduro, the former president of Venezuela.
- What
- He is studying religious and philosophical texts and has met with prison chaplains.
- When
- Since his detention following his capture on January 3.
- Where
- The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
- Why
- Not stated. The article says it is unclear whether his interest in Judaism is mainly spiritual or intellectual.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
US forces captured Maduro and his wife in an operation in Caracas.
Maduro was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and began spending much of his time reading religious and philosophical texts.
A US judge set Maduro’s trial for June 2027, according to a related report cited in the article.
- Detention facility
- Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn
- Reading
- The Bible, the Quran and philosophical texts
- Chaplains met
- A priest and a rabbi
- Capture date
- January 3
- Trial
- Expected in 2027; a related report cited in the article says June 2027