- President Maduro Captured in Overnight Military Operation
Washington/Caracas — United States President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that American forces carried out overnight air strikes on Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two countries.
Trump said the operation resulted in Maduro being taken into US custody and flown out of Venezuela. He shared a photograph on his Truth Social platform that he claimed showed the Venezuelan leader aboard the US warship USS Iwo Jima. The image appeared to show Maduro wearing a grey tracksuit with a black band covering his eyes.
Speaking later at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump said the United States would “run the country” until a “judicious” transition of government could be implemented. He provided few details about the military operation or the legal basis for the action.
Venezuela’s government confirmed that explosions were reported in Caracas and at least three other states — Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira — but did not confirm that Maduro had been captured. The government blamed the United States for the attacks and declared a state of emergency shortly after the strikes began.
Residents in Caracas reported hearing at least seven explosions around 2am local time (06:00 GMT), accompanied by the sound of low-flying aircraft. Al Jazeera’s Latin America editor Lucia Newman said at least one blast appeared to originate near Fort Tiuna, the capital’s main military base.
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Earlier, the US Federal Aviation Administration had instructed American commercial airlines to avoid Venezuelan airspace. The US embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, later issued a warning advising American citizens to stay out of Venezuela, but initially stopped short of confirming US involvement.
Confirmation came several hours later when Trump posted online, saying the US had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader.”
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said multiple strategic locations were hit, including military bases, airfields and government buildings. In a social media post, he listed targets such as the Miraflores presidential palace, La Carlota airbase, Fort Tiuna, the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas, and several airports near the capital. Large areas of Caracas were reportedly left without electricity following the attacks.
US military officials have not publicly identified the units involved or confirmed specific targets. However, the US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group had been operating in the Atlantic and Caribbean region in recent weeks, according to previously released naval statements.
The operation has few precedents in modern history. While the US has captured foreign leaders such as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Panama’s Manuel Noriega, those arrests followed full-scale invasions during declared wars.
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of fuelling narcotics trafficking into the United States and of links to the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, which Washington has designated a foreign terrorist organisation. However, US intelligence agencies have previously stated there is no evidence directly tying Maduro to the group, and official US data does not list Venezuela as a major source of illicit narcotics entering the country.
Regional governments and international bodies had not issued formal responses by Saturday afternoon, as concerns mounted over the legality of the operation and the risk of wider instability in Latin America.
