Venezuelan opposition leader extracted in covert mission for Nobel Prize

A US undercover team conducted a mission to extract Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado while her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in Europe.

Special forces veteran Bryan Stern described the treacherous operation and the measures taken to get him safely out of Venezuela.

“This was dangerous for him – very dangerous for him – frankly dangerous for everyone involved,” Stern, president of the Gray Bull Rescue Foundation, said on Fox News Radio.The Brian Kilmeade Show“

Machado shocked much of the world on Thursday when he appeared on a balcony in Oslo, Norway, thousands of kilometers from Venezuela.

Stern said his group had done missions in Venezuela, but when they were first contacted about the mission they had no idea such a high-profile figure was involved.

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“We didn’t know it was María at first,” he said, adding that learning her identity changed “everything.”

“He’s been my hero for years. To be asked to participate in this, let alone lead this operation, is probably the greatest privilege I’ll ever have in my career,” Stern said.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures during an anti-government protest in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 9. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

Escape took place by land, air and sea. At one point, Stern said, they were on a small fishing boat in the middle of the night and were dealing with rough seas of “15 to 10 feet.” He said a retired sailor on the boat vomited for hours due to the harsh conditions in the water.

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“María never complained once,” said Stern, describing her behavior throughout the trip as “inspiring”.

Stern noted that the team was working under the constant threat of detection by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s forces and did not relax until Machado arrived in Norway.

The daughter of Nobel Peace Prize winner Ana Corina Sosa accepted the award on behalf of her mother, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony held at Oslo City Hall, Norway, on December 10. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix, Repository via AP)

“I took a deep breath when I saw María hugging her daughter,” he said.

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Machado had been in hiding since January after being detained in Caracas; His supporters say he was arrested after joining a crowd protesting Maduro’s inauguration. He has long been an outspoken critic of the Maduro regime and its contentious elections and leads Venezuela’s main opposition movement.

He won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for his work supporting democracy and human rights. Machado publicly thanked President Donald Trump for his support against the regime and told Fox News Digital that he also dedicated the award to him.

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro waves a sword said to belong to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a civil-military event held at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday (November 25). (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

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Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the award in her place on Wednesday, saying her mother would “never give up” on her desire to live in a free Venezuela.

Machado’s removal comes as the United States increases pressure on Maduro’s government. In early December, the White House confirmed that the military had seized a multimillion-dollar tanker reportedly carrying illicit Iranian oil.