The Venezuelan president and his wife have been flown out of the country, the US president has said
US forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife during Washington’s strikes on the nation’s capital, US President Donald Trump has announced, adding that the two have been flown out of the South American country. Venezuelan authorities have long accused the US of attempting to topple the government in Caracas.
In a statement on Saturday on Truth Social, Trump confirmed that the US had “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela.”
“Its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement,” he wrote, adding that additional details would be provided at a news conference in his Florida residence in Mar-a-Lago at 11am.
Unnamed US officials told CBS that the operation had been carried out by Delta Force, the US Army’s top special mission unit. It has been involved in high-profile operations, including the 2019 raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the 1989 capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.
Speaking to the New York Times, Trump called the operation “brilliant,” adding “a lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops” took part. A US official told the outlet that no Americans were killed or injured in the operation but would not comment on Venezuelan casualties.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez – who is next in line to take Maduro’s reigns – said the whereabouts of the head of state are unknown, and asked Trump to provide proof of life.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated over what Washington has described as Caracas’ links to drug trafficking and narco-cartels. Maduro has denied the allegations, calling them a pretext for toppling his government.
As the stand-off persisted, media reports said the US had repeatedly sought to remove Nicolas Maduro from power, including through efforts to pressure him to step down, and allegedly plotted his capture or assassination.
In October, Trump said that he had authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, prompting a backlash from Caracas. The same month, AP reported that the agents had tried to recruit Maduro’s personal pilot to capture the president and deliver him to the US, which would take him into custody on drug trafficking charges.
In November, the New York Times reported that one plan could potentially involve US Special Operations troops, including the elite Delta Force and Navy SEALs, to capture or kill Maduro – who was reportedly described as a narco-baron to avoid legal hurdles.
In December, Reuters reported, citing sources, that the US had given Maduro an ultimatum to flee the country, promising that in exchange, the Venezuelan president and his family would be shielded from all US sanctions as well as a case which had been brought against him in the International Criminal Court.
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