Switzerland's Federal Council froze all assets held by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his associates in the country over the past hour, following his arrest by U.S. forces in Caracas and transfer to the United States, according to a report by AlertaNews24 on X citing the Federal Council. The asset freeze was announced during the 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. UTC window on Jan. 5, 2026. Maduro's capture in Caracas and transport to New York for trial was previously confirmed in U.S. reports and Venezuelan Armed Forces statements rejecting kidnapping claims, as detailed in prior coverage through 11:15 a.m. UTC. These measures add to international pressure on Maduro's regime amid U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's shadow fleet oil tankers, including the Hyperion switching to a Russian flag off Venezuela's coast over the prior hour, according to X posts by bayraktar_1love. At least 16 sanctioned tankers have attempted to evade a U.S. naval blockade on Venezuelan energy exports over the last two days by disguising locations or disabling signals, as reported by The New York Times and shared on X through earlier windows.
