Delta Force ripped Maduro and wife from their beds as they slept – two days after Venezuelan president begged Trump for peace

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia were captured sleeping in their bed by an elite Delta Force unit.

The left-wing leader, who now faces trial on drug and weapons charges in New York, was taken away early Saturday morning, CNN reported.

A source told the network that the operation, which hit five Venezuelan facilities, including three in the country’s capital, Caracas, did not result in any casualties.

Trump said the Maduros were taken to the USS Iwo Jima attack ship and would later be transferred to New York.

He hailed the operation as “wonderful” in a brief interview with the New York Times earlier on Saturday.

The president later called into Fox News’ breakfast show Fox & Friends and excitedly told the hosts: ‘I mean, I literally watched it like I was watching a television show. If you could see the speed and intensity, it was incredible.’

President Trump said he will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The daring raid saw explosions wreak havoc on Caracas; Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab insisted that ‘innocents’ were ‘fatally injured’ in the US operation.

Two days before the raid, Maduro requested peace from the United States, following reports that he had started sleeping in a different place every night to avoid being caught.

Speaking to a Spanish journalist, Maduro said: ‘The American people should know that there is a friendly, peaceful people here and also a friendly government.

‘They must know that our message is very clear: ‘Not War.’ ‘Yes Peace’.’

In the same interview, Maduro said he would be willing to work with the United States to reduce drug trafficking. Trump claims Maduro is the head of a narcotics cartel that floods the United States with illegal substances.

Speaking to the New York Times at 4:30 on Saturday morning, nine minutes after announcing the raid on the TruthSocial website, Trump said: ‘A lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops and great people.

‘It was actually a great operation.’ Asked if he consulted Congress before authorizing the strike, Trump said, “We’ll discuss that.”

Maduro will be tried in Manhattan and likely held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn; federal facility currently housing United HealthCare CEO Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer.

American forces do not appear to have encountered much resistance from the Venezuelan military, although Maduro claims he is ready for any attack.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia were captured by a US military unit in the early hours of Caracas; Maduro will now face drug and weapons charges in the US

According to CNN, the locations of the security-conscious Maduros were tracked by the CIA in the days before their capture. Trump ordered the mission two days ago.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded ‘proof of life’, claiming that he feared Maduro and Flores may have been killed during the operation.

And the country’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said: ‘Innocent victims were fatally injured and others killed in this criminal terrorist attack.’

He called for peaceful protests.

No details were shared regarding the number of deaths or injuries in the Delta Force attack.

Trump ran as an anti-war ‘peace president’ and attacks on oil-rich Venezuela will likely anger some in his MAGA base.

Utah Senator Mike Lee said that the airstrikes that broke out around the same time in Caracas were carried out in support of the US operation to enforce the arrest warrant against Maduro.

Trump plans to fly Maduro to the USA to be tried on charges of ‘narcoterrorism’.

President Trump said Maduro and his government are conspiring to flood the United States with illegal drugs.

Maduro was indicted in 2020 on charges of importing cocaine into the United States during Trump’s first term as president.

Trump offered a reward of $15 million for his arrest.

That rose to $25 million in the final days of former President Joe Biden’s administration and doubled to $50 million in August 2025 after Trump began his second term as president.

Trump claims that Maduro is the leader of a drug-trafficking organization called Cartel de los Soles and has designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization.

On Saturday morning, U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi said Maduro “will soon face the full wrath of American justice in American courts on American soil.”

He said Maduro will face multiple weapons charges in addition to the drug charges he is facing.

Saturday’s capture sent international shockwaves. Maduro’s government has branded the US a ‘coward’ for capturing its leaders.

A military vehicle destroyed in Saturday’s attacks in Venezuela was seen burning as dawn broke in Caracas on Saturday morning.

A bus with its windows blown out was seen in Caracas early on Saturday. Venezuela’s attorney general said “innocent people” were “fatally injured” in the attacks, but did not provide further details or the number of people injured or killed.

An explosion occurred in Caracas early on Saturday morning during the US military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Russia, an important ally of Venezuela, has suggested that the United States may have violated international law by capturing Maduro.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are extremely concerned by reports that Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were forcibly removed from the country during today’s aggressive actions by the United States.

‘We call for immediate clarification of this situation.’

In recent weeks, the United States has been blowing up suspected drug boats sailing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean with connections to Venezuela.

Maduro is said to have increased his security in recent weeks and sleeps in a different bed every night to avoid attempts to capture him.

The captured leader, leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, was elected in 2013.

He was branded a corrupt authoritarian who presided over his country’s economic collapse, rigged subsequent elections and crushed opponents.

Trump announced Maduro’s capture on the Truth Social media platform early on Saturday, writing: ‘The United States has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured and sent out of the country along with his wife.

‘This operation was carried out together with the US Law Enforcement. Details will follow. A News Conference will be held today at 11 a.m. at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your interest in this topic! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’

The story is being developed, check back for updates…