Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has turned to religious and philosophical reading during his detention in a Brooklyn prison, marking a notable change in his daily life since his capture by American forces earlier this year.
Maduro, 63, is reportedly spending much of his time studying the Qur’an and the Bible while awaiting further legal proceedings in a US criminal case involving allegations of drug trafficking.
According to The New York Times, which cited sources familiar with his detention conditions, the former Venezuelan leader has developed a growing interest in religious questions during his months behind bars.
He has also met religious advisers inside the prison, including a priest and a rabbi, as he explores religious traditions beyond his own Catholic background.
Maduro’s Growing Interest in Islam, Christianity and Judaism
Sources who spoke to The New York Times said Maduro’s engagement with religious texts has deepened considerably since his imprisonment.
While he has long been identified as a Catholic, he was not previously known for having a particular interest in Judaism.
However, Maduro has publicly spoken about having Sephardic Jewish ancestry, tracing his family roots to Jewish communities that migrated from the Dutch Antilles to Venezuela.
His reported reading of the Qur’an alongside the Bible, together with his meetings with religious figures, suggests that religious study has become a prominent part of his routine while awaiting trial.
This interest is not entirely new. An earlier report published by The New Yorker had already described Maduro reading the Bible during his imprisonment.
Maduro has also had connections to spiritual traditions outside Christianity.
He, his wife Cilia Flores, and his successor Delcy Rodríguez have been associated with the late Indian spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba.
The latest accounts indicate that Maduro’s religious interests have continued to develop during his detention, although the reports do not suggest that he has formally converted to another religion.
Weight Loss and Difficult Prison Conditions
Maduro’s changing routine has extended beyond his religious interests.
According to the same sources, the former Venezuelan president has lost a noticeable amount of weight since being transferred to the detention facility in Brooklyn.
Before his imprisonment, Maduro had reportedly followed a dietary programme known as the paleo diet, which emphasises foods such as meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts.
His prison diet, however, has been markedly different.
Sources said Maduro has complained about the poor quality of the food provided to detainees, while the restrictions of imprisonment have affected his eating habits and physical condition.
The Brooklyn detention facility houses approximately 1,300 inmates, including individuals awaiting trial or further judicial proceedings.
Maduro remains there pending the continuation of his case, with accounts of his detention describing significant changes to his daily habits and physical wellbeing.
Captured in Caracas and Transferred to the United States
Maduro’s detention followed a US military operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on 3 January 2026.
American special operations forces conducted an overnight mission that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, before transporting them to the United States.
The operation marked a major escalation following years of American political and economic pressure aimed at removing Maduro from power.
Washington has accused the former Venezuelan president of facilitating the trafficking of large quantities of cocaine into the United States.
His wife also faces charges connected to the same criminal proceedings.
Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting the continuation of their cases before American courts.
The proceedings have also undergone a change in judicial oversight.
Judge Analisa Torres has taken over responsibility for the case following the death of Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who had previously supervised the proceedings against Maduro and his wife.
Hellerstein died in October at the age of 92.
Maduro’s Wife Reports Health Problems and Solitary Confinement
While Maduro has reportedly occupied himself with religious study, his wife has faced her own difficulties during detention.
Court documents submitted by Cilia Flores’s legal team have described a series of health problems that developed or worsened during her imprisonment.
According to her lawyers, Flores experienced chest pains that led to her being prescribed nitroglycerin, a medication commonly used to relieve certain forms of chest pain.
She has also reportedly lost more than 25 pounds in weight since her detention.
Her legal representatives said she was held in solitary confinement for three months, raising concerns about the impact of her detention conditions on her physical and psychological wellbeing.
The defence team also indicated that Flores may have suffered a minor heart attack in July.
In addition to the reported cardiovascular symptoms, she has experienced significant sleep disturbances.
Flores told her lawyers that she sleeps for only three or four hours a day.
Her legal team presented these medical concerns as grounds for securing her release on health-related grounds.
However, the court rejected the request, leaving her in detention as the criminal proceedings continue.
Maduro and Flores therefore remain in American custody, awaiting further judicial developments, while reports from inside the detention facility describe how imprisonment has reshaped their daily lives.
For Maduro, those changes have included an increasingly prominent interest in religious study, particularly his reading of the Qur’an and the Bible, as he confronts an uncertain future in the American judicial system.
