United States President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that US forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying the operation was carried out by the American military in collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Maduro and his wife were apprehended during what he described as a large-scale US operation against Venezuela. According to him, the couple had been flown out of the country following the action.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” Trump wrote.
Trump, who was speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, later described the operation as “brilliant,” praising the planning and the personnel involved. He declined to say whether congressional approval had been sought before the action.
US media reports said the operation involved elite American troops and occurred amid reported explosions in Caracas. Trump announced plans to provide further details during a press briefing scheduled for later in the day.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi also confirmed that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face multiple charges in the United States. In a statement shared on X, Bondi said both had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the US, and weapons-related offences.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil and in American courts,” she said.
Maduro has long been accused by US authorities of leading the so-called “Cartel of the Suns,” an alleged drug trafficking network. In 2020, the US formally indicted him, and in August last year, the reward for information leading to his arrest was reportedly increased to $50 million.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quoted as saying that no further military action was planned in Venezuela now that Maduro was in US custody. Rubio also reiterated his long-held position that Maduro was not the legitimate president of Venezuela, citing disputed elections.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described the development as a turning point for the South American nation. “The tyrant is gone. He will now finally face justice for his crimes,” Landau wrote.
The reported capture comes amid longstanding tensions between Washington and Caracas, with Trump previously accusing Venezuela of exporting drugs into the United States and unlawfully seizing American oil assets.
The development also coincides with the anniversary of past US military actions abroad, including the surrender of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega to US forces in 1990 and the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
The claim follows recent statements by Venezuelan authorities expressing willingness to cooperate with the US on issues such as drug trafficking and illegal migration.
Trump Claims US Forces Captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro
