Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores hit their heads as they tried to flee US forces arresting them, a report claims.
Maduro and Flores attempted to hide behind a heavy steel door inside their compound, but they bumped their heads while escaping due to a low door frame, unnamed officials told CNN.
The pair were given first aid after being seized from the compound, but their injuries occurred before the US Delta Forces caught up with them, the sources claimed.
The couple appeared in a New York court on Monday with visible injuries, as the former Venezuelan president pleaded not guilty to several drug charges days after his capture.
Flores’ attorney told the judge she had sustained “significant injuries” during her abduction and that she “may have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs”. Her attorney asked for a full physical evaluation, including an X-Ray.
During Maduro’s high-security transfer to a New York courthouse, footage taken from helicopters showed him walking between modes of transport with a significant limp.
Courtroom sketches of Flores showed her with bandages on her head - but administration officials told lawmakers on Monday that the injuries were minor.
Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said according to NBC News that US forces reached Maduro’s Caracas compound at around 1am on Saturday, before breaching it and taking the couple by surprise.
They tried to use so-called flash-bangs - explosive devices which create an intense light and sound but are not intended to be lethal - to blast through the large doors behind which Maduro and Flores were hiding. It was during or after that moment that the injuries occurred, sources told US outlets.
During the court appearance, Maduro told the judge he had been kidnapped and that he was a “prisoner of war”.
Flores’ attorney told the court, when asked about her client's bruising: "Our client is in good spirits. We look forward to reviewing and challenging the evidence the government has."
Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, can ask the judge to release them on bail, which would allow them to await trial at a location other than jail. Neither defendant made that request on Monday, but their lawyers suggested they might in the future.
It is, however, unlikely to be granted. Both are charged with serious offences that could carry life sentences, and prosecutors could argue they are flight risks — meaning they may try to leave the country to avoid prosecution if they are freed.
Maduro is accused of narco-terrorism conspiracy. He and his wife are accused of being part of a conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S. and possessing machine guns.
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