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President Donald Trump said in an early morning announcement on social media that American federal law enforcement agents, in conjunction with the U.S. military, successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a stunning overnight operation that took place in the South American nation.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
He added that there would be a press conference later today at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Attorney General Pam Bondi followed up the president’s announcement with one of her own.
“Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” Bondi wrote on X.
At least seven explosions could be heard in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas early Saturday morning, according to The Associated Press, and low-flying aircraft were seen flying over Caracas at about 2 a.m. local time.
The helicopters flying over Caracas were part of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers.”
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,” she added.
The Venezuelan government said in a statement that “the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira” were impacted by the attack.
The statement also accused the U.S. of committing a “very serious military aggression” against Venezuela and carrying out “imperialist aggression.”
The statement also said the U.S. committed a “very serious military aggression” against Venezuela and carrying out “imperialist aggression.”
“The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force,” the Government of Venezuela said in a statement. “They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.”
The statement also said the “attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a ‘regime change,’ in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail just like all previous attempts.”
Reacting to Trump’s announcement, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the arrest is a “new dawn for Venezuela.”
“The tyrant is gone,” Landau posted on X. “He will now — finally —face justice for his crimes.”
The arrest of Maduro comes after months of U.S. military forces targeting boats suspected of ferrying drugs from Venezuela to the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Democrats reacted with fury to the attacks, while some Republicans also questioned it.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, questioned the justification for the strike in a post on X early Saturday, writing, “I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.”
