US captures Venezuela’s leader and his wife in stunning operation and plans to prosecute them
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Caracas: The US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of the country in the early hours of Saturday (Sunday AEST) in an extraordinary military operation that deposed a sitting leader. President Donald Trump has insisted that the US government will run the country at least temporarily and take advantage of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to sell “large quantities” to other countries.
The action marked the culmination of the Trump administration’s escalating pressure campaign against the South American country, which has included months of attacks on boats that authorities say are smuggling drugs into the United States. Behind the scenes, U.S. officials tracked Maduro’s behavioral habits, including what he ate and where he slept, as he prepared to carry out an operation that resulted in one of the most dramatic regime changes in modern history.
Maduro and his wife, who were detained overnight from their home on a military base, were heading to New York on a US warship; where they would face criminal charges in connection with a Justice Department indictment accusing them of their role in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Trump said that the United States plans to govern Venezuela until the transition of power occurs. He claimed that the American presence was already present, although there was no immediate sign of the United States running the country. Venezuelan state television continued to broadcast pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live footage of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.
“We will govern until we can achieve a safe, appropriate and reasonable transition,” Trump said at the Mar-a-Lago press conference, boasting that this “highly successful operation should serve as a warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”
The legal authority of the attack, reminiscent of the 1990 U.S. invasion of Panama that resulted in the surrender and capture of leader Manuel Antonio Noriega, was not immediately clear. The US government does not recognize Maduro, who last appeared on state television during a meeting with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas on Friday.
Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but the Justice Department on Saturday issued a new indictment against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, describing the regime as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug trafficking operation that flooded the United States with cocaine.
Trump posted a photo on his Truth Social account that he said showed Maduro in custody, blindfolded and wearing sweatpants.
early morning attack
Multiple explosions were heard early on Saturday and low-flying planes headed towards the Venezuelan capital. Maduro’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military facilities, calling it an “imperialist attack” and calling on citizens to take to the streets.
The attack lasted less than 30 minutes and explosions (at least seven explosions) sent people into the streets while others reported what they saw and heard on social media. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said some Venezuelan civilians and military members were killed, without giving figures. Trump said some US forces were injured in Venezuela, but none died.
“We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse over and over again. Not to get it right, but to make sure we don’t get it wrong,” Chief of Staff Dan Caine said.
Video from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city showed trails and smoke blurring the landscape as repeated silent explosions lit up the night sky. Other images showed cars passing on the highway as explosions illuminated the hills behind them. The videos have been verified by the Associated Press.
While smoke rose from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, electricity was cut off at another military facility in the capital.
Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández told The Associated Press that Maduro and Flores were at their home at the Fort Tiuna military base when they were captured. “They bombed the place,” he said. “And there they carried out what we might call the kidnapping of the president and the first lady of the country.” According to Venezuelan law, Rodriguez would take over from Maduro. Although Maduro and his wife made a statement after the attack demanding proof that they were alive, there was no confirmation about the incident.
The strike followed the Trump administration’s months-long pressure campaign against Venezuela’s leader, including a massive build-up of American forces in waters off South America and attacks on boats accused of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike on a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels; This was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the United States began attacks in September.
In a demonstration of what a polarizing figure Maduro is, people took to the streets in various ways to deplore and celebrate his capture.
At a protest in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined the crowd demanding the return of Maduro.
Earlier, gunmen and uniformed members of civilian militias had taken to the streets of the Caracas neighborhood, long considered a stronghold of the ruling party. In other parts of the city, the streets remained empty after the attack and citizens absorbed the events. Some areas remained without electricity, but vehicles moved freely.
Legality questions
The Armed Services committees in both houses of Congress, which have jurisdiction over military matters, have not been notified of any action by the administration, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to discuss the matter.
Lawmakers from both political parties in Congress expressed deep reservations and openly objected to U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling near the Venezuelan coast; Congress has not specifically approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.
access point
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