Venezuela’s president and his wife have been flown out of the country, according to the US president
US President Donald Trump has announced that US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife during Washington’s attacks on the South American nation’s capital, adding that both have been flown out of Venezuela. For years, Venezuelan authorities have accused the US of attempting to overthrow the government in Caracas.
In a Saturday statement on Truth Social, Trump confirmed that the US had “successfully conducted a large-scale strike against Venezuela.”
“The nation’s leader, President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, has been captured and flown out of the country. This operation was carried out in partnership with US Law Enforcement,” he wrote, noting that additional details would be provided at an 11am news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
Anonymous US officials told CBS that the operation was executed by Delta Force, the US Army’s top special mission unit. The unit 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 a lot of great, great troops” participated. A US official told the outlet that no Americans were killed or injured in the operation but declined to comment on Venezuelan casualties.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez – next in line to take over Maduro’s role – said the president’s whereabouts are unknown and asked Trump to provide proof of life.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated over what Washington describes as Caracas’ links to drug trafficking and narco-cartels. Maduro has denied the allegations, calling them a pretext for toppling his government.
As the standoff continued, media reports indicated that the US had repeatedly sought to remove Nicolas Maduro from power, including by pressuring him to step down and allegedly plotting his capture or assassination.
In October, Trump said he had authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, prompting a backlash from Caracas. The same month, AP reported that agents had tried to convince Maduro’s personal pilot to capture the president and deliver him to the US, where he would be taken into custody on drug trafficking charges.
In November, The New York Times reported that one potential plan involved US Special Operations Forces, including the elite Delta Force and Navy SEALs, to capture or kill Maduro – who was reportedly labeled a narco-baron to avoid legal hurdles.
In December, Reuters reported, citing sources, that the US had given Maduro an offer to flee the country, promising that in exchange, the Venezuelan president and his family would be protected from all US sanctions as well as a case filed against him at the International Criminal Court.