Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, currently held in a Brooklyn prison in New York, is spending his time reading religious and philosophical texts, including the Quran and the Bible.

Driven by a growing interest in spirituality, he has also met with a Christian pastor and a Jewish rabbi.

According to a report by The New York Times, citing several sources familiar with conditions inside the facility and Maduro's experiences, Maduro’s interest in spirituality is long-standing.

However, his engagement with religious matters has deepened since his incarceration. He frequently engages in discussions on religious topics with prison guards and chaplains.

Maduro had previously spoken publicly about his Jewish heritage, claiming his ancestors were Sephardic Jews who migrated to Venezuela from the Dutch Antilles.

However, close associates noted that he did not display any special interest in Judaism prior to his arrest.

Throughout his political career, Maduro often leveraged religion. He actively sought the support of Venezuela's growing Evangelical Christian population and at one point cultivated a close relationship with a Catholic priest.

The report also noted that Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and his successor Delcy Rodríguez were followers of the late Indian spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba.

Maduro is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

The section of the facility—which houses approximately 1,300 inmates—where he is currently held previously accommodated high-profile detainees such as Sam Bankman-Fried and Luigi Mangione.

Maduro is scheduled to face trial next year on multiple charges, including conspiring to traffic thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States. His wife, Cilia Flores, faces charges under the same indictment.