The United States carried out a pre-dawn military operation in Venezuela on Saturday, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country, according to statements issued by US officials and President Donald Trump.
Announcing the development on social media, Trump said American forces, working in coordination with US law enforcement agencies, executed what he described as a large-scale strike that led to the detention of the Venezuelan leader.
He later said the operation resulted in some injuries among US personnel but no fatalities, adding that adverse weather conditions had delayed the launch by several days.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine trafficking, and weapons-related offences. She said the two would be brought to the United States to face trial.
Trump stated that the couple were initially transported to the USS Iwo Jima and would eventually be taken to New York.
The Pentagon declined to comment on operational details, referring queries to the White House, which reposted Trump’s announcement but offered no further clarification.
CBS News reported that the US Army’s Delta Force was involved in the operation, though there was no official confirmation.
Questions have emerged in Washington over the legal basis of the action and whether Congress was consulted.
Republican Senator Mike Lee said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him the deployment was aimed at protecting US personnel executing an arrest warrant, and suggested the move could fall under the president’s constitutional authority to safeguard American forces.
Rubio, responding on social media, reiterated his long-standing position that Maduro does not represent a legitimate government and accused him of leading what he termed a narco-terror organisation.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Maduro would now “face justice” for his alleged crimes.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Venezuelan government. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, speaking to state television, demanded proof that Maduro and his wife were alive.
Meanwhile, posts on Maduro’s official social media accounts claimed that attacks had taken place in several Venezuelan states and accused the US of seeking control over the country’s oil and mineral resources.
The statements said a national emergency had been declared and defence forces mobilised.
Explosions were reported in Caracas around 2 am local time, according to unverified social media footage.
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Reuters cited sources saying oil production and refining operations run by state energy firm PDVSA were unaffected, though the port of La Guaira near the capital was reported to have sustained heavy damage.
International reaction began to build as details emerged. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Caracas was under attack and called for emergency meetings of the Organization of American States and the United Nations.
Venezuela’s opposition, led by Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado, said it would not comment on the operation.
The action follows months of escalating pressure by Washington on Maduro, including sanctions and a recently announced blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.
The US and Venezuela’s opposition have accused Maduro of manipulating last year’s election to retain power, allegations his government has repeatedly denied.
Maduro, who took office in 2013 after Hugo Chávez’s death, has long maintained that the US is attempting to seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
