Venezuela declared a state of emergency after the capital was rocked by a series of explosions in the early hours of Saturday morning, with a statement calling for full mobilisation to repel “this imperialist attack”.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was said to have ordered “all national defence plans to be implemented” and announced a state of emergency on Saturday morning after explosions in the capital of Caracas left several neighbourhoods without power. Smoke was seen rising from a nearby military base, and other strikes are alleged to have taken place in the Venezuelan regions of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
UPDATE: U.S. Says Maduro in custody
Far from the bullish statement released by Venezuela this morning reporting of Maduro having signed an emergency decree, U.S. President Donald Trump reported on Saturday morning that Maduro had been captured overnight and flown out of the country with the assistance of U.S. law enforcement. Read the latest at Breitbart News.
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Venezuela blamed American air strikes for the incident, but the U.S. government has made no comment on the matter at the time of publication. However, the Associated Press notes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a Notice to Airmen an hour before the strikes are said to have begun, banning pilots from the Venezuelan airspace over “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.”
Members of the presidential guard stand outside the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
The declaration of the state of emergency gives Maduro special powers to further restrict the freedom of Venezuelan civilians and to rapidly build up the military. In a statement by the Venezuelan ministry of foreign affairs seen by Breitbart News, Caracas said they “condemns and denounces” the “extremely grave military aggression carried out by the current Government of the United States of America”.
The attack is an attempt to “seize Venezuela’s strategic resources” with a “colonial war”, it was claimed.
Announcing a full national mobilisation, the Venezuelan government said Maduro had already signed an emergency decree to ensure an “armed struggle… against imperialist aggression”.
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