A preschool teacher in Michigan was arrested on camera just seconds after finishing a television interview in which she criticised US President Donald Trump over the United States' military operation in Venezuela.
Jessica Plichta, 22, was taken into custody during a protest in Grand Rapids on Saturday, hours after Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife were detained by US forces in Caracas.
In a widely shared video, two police officers can be seen approaching Plichta from behind as she ends her interview with WZZM, an ABC News-affiliated station. As they escort her away, she is heard saying, "I am not resisting arrest."
Minutes earlier, Plichta had spoken against US intervention in Venezuela.
"We have to apply pressure at all points that we can. It's our tax dollars that are also being used to commit these war crimes," she told WZZM.
"It's the American public's duty to stand against the Trump regime, the Trump administration, for committing crimes both here in the US and against people in Venezuela," she added.
MOMENT protests organizer Jessica Plichta ARRESTED right DURING LIVE INTERVIEW
— RT (@RT_com) January 6, 2026
She was criticizing Trump for Venezuela operation when Michigan police grabbed her pic.twitter.com/QUyEfBVFGK
Plichta said she had travelled to Venezuela three weeks earlier to attend an international gathering and claimed she had seen Maduro in person.
"I saw Maduro in person. People loved him. Maduro was elected by the people. He is for the people, and the people want to see his return. Free Maduro," she said.
It is important to note that the results of the 2024 Venezuelan elections are disputed, with the US and UK considering that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the popular mandate.
As Plichta removed her microphone, officers moved in and placed her under arrest.
Grand Rapids Police later issued a statement explaining that demonstrators had been told repeatedly to move off the road.
"Blocking traffic in this manner is a direct violation of city and state law. The group refused lawful orders to move this free speech event to the sidewalk, and instead began blocking intersections until the march ended," the statement said.
Plichta was released later the same day.
Maduro Appears In US Court After Capture
Last week, US special forces carried out a nighttime operation in Caracas and snatched Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Within 48 hours, the couple was brought to a New York courtroom for their arraignment on drug and weapons charges.
Inside the court, Maduro said he had been "kidnapped" by the United States and described himself as a "prisoner of war".
He told the judge, "I am not guilty, I am a decent man, I am still the president of my country."
Maduro and Flores face multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons. Both pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The next court hearing has been scheduled for March 17.
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