Pro-Trump demonstrators rallied outside the Manhattan courthouse on Jan. 5, 2026, between 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. UTC, supporting the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro ahead of his arraignment there, according to video posted on X by @OffThePress1. One supporter stated, "The people of Venezuela are celebrating. The children are dancing." Colombian President Gustavo Petro threatened during the same period to take up arms to defend Colombia's sovereignty from threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, as reported in an X post by @AlertaMundoNews. The statement echoes Petro's earlier remarks between 1:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. UTC vowing armed defense against any U.S. attempt to detain him. These events follow Maduro's capture by U.S. forces in Caracas and transfer to New York for trial, confirmed in prior U.S. statements. Venezuelans celebrated the detention in 30 countries and 130 cities worldwide earlier on Jan. 5, per opposition leader MarÃa Corina Machado's X post. Chavismo paramilitary colectivos terrorized Caracas streets and kidnapped celebrants between 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. UTC, according to journalist @EmmaRincon on X, after Venezuela decreed arrests for supporters of the U.S. operation between 2:15 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. UTC.
