Following the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores by US forces, Maduro’s son Nicolás Maduro Guerra has issued a defiant message suggesting internal betrayal within the ruling establishment.

In an audio statement circulated on social media, Maduro Guerra said, “History will tell who the traitors were. History will reveal it,” raising speculation about possible conspiracies inside the government or ruling party that may have contributed to his father’s arrest.

Despite the shock of the US military operation, Guerra sought to project calm and resolve. “We are fine, we are calm. You will see us in the streets alongside our people. He said, “They want us to look weak, but we will still raise the flags of dignity,” recognizing the presence of anger and pain but at the same time promising to stand up for their cause.

Turning to his followers, Guerra invited them to join the demonstrations on January 4 and 5, asking for the coming together of the different factions in the movement. Besides, he urged that there should be “political and military coordination” in the face of what he called foreign aggression against Venezuela.

Maduro Guerra, a lawmaker representing La Guaira state and a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), is a prominent political figure often referred to as “The Prince.” He has been named in recent US indictments, with federal prosecutors alleging that he played a central role in a narcotics network involving state resources, military personnel and political influence to traffic cocaine to the United States.

These assertions are made when Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are nonetheless in custody in the US. The pair are anticipated to show up at a federal court in the Southern District of New York, where Maduro is already charged with engaged in conspiracies related to narcotics and terrorism as well as drug trafficking.

The arrests followed coordinated US strikes across civilian and military installations in multiple Venezuelan states. US President Donald Trump confirmed the operation, describing it as a large-scale action that resulted in Maduro’s capture. The Venezuelan leader and his wife were reportedly taken from their residence, transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, and later flown to New York to face criminal proceedings.