Maduro Reportedly Rejected Going Into Exile In Turkey Before Being Captured

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro rejected a U.S. offer to go into exile in Turkey before he was captured and taken to New York on Saturday.

The New York Times reported on the offer, which was made in late December by President Donald Trump.

The fact that Maduro made public appearances ever since dismissing U.S. threats and dancing to a remix of a speech of his saying "no crazy war" helped some in the Trump team to move forward with the operation to capture him, the outlet added.

The White House then taunted Maduro after his capture, posting a picture of him arriving in a DEA office in New York.

"Perp walked," reads the caption of the White House's rapid response social media account. The video shows Maduro walking into the building along with different officers saying "good night, happy new year."

Maduro was captured after Trump gave the green light to "Operation Absolute Resolve." Elite troops had trained for months to execute the operation, even using a replica of the presidential compound based on gathered intelligence.

Months earlier, the CIA had sent a small team inside the South American country to track Maduro's locations and movements, providing key intelligence that led to his capture.

CNN reported that the team was sent to the country over the summer. One source operated within the authoritarian government and assisted the U.S. with tracking Maduro before the operation.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were finally taken and could make a court appearance as soon as Monday, according to NBC News. They have been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation and conspiracy and weapons offenses.

Trump said that top U.S. officials will work with a "team" to help run Venezuela until a democratic transition takes place. The team will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.