Authorities in Nicaragua have arrested at least 60 people for reportedly celebrating or expressing support for the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, a human rights watchdog group and local media outlets said Friday. Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega and his wife, vice president Rosario Murillo, are staunch allies of Maduro, who was captured by US military personnel in Caracas last Saturday and taken to New York to face trial on drug and weapons charges. According to Confidencial, a Nicaraguan newspaper published outside the country, the arrests took place under a “state of alert” ordered by Murillo following Maduro’s capture – including surveillance in neighbourhoods and on social media. La Prensa, another local newspaper, said the arrests occurred due to “posts in favor” of the US operation. The US president said he had cancelled planned military action in recognition that the authorities in Caracas had released “large numbers” of prisoners and were “seeking peace”.

Source: The Guardian January 10, 2026 19:25 UTC