President Trump Confirms Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s Capture
President Donald Trump has confirmed that a “large scale strike” was carried out in Venezuela Saturday morning, leading to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. According to administration officials, President Maduro will stand trial in the United States on drug and weapons charges.
By way of still developing reports, the United States carried out a strike in the South American nation in the early morning hours of January 3, shocking not only Venezuelans but also other leaders and observers from around the globe.
Images of the strike show several structures ablaze in this BBC report, which is following the events in great detail as they occur. Venezuela’s capital city, Caracas, was especially hit hard by the military forces, with the aftermath displaying widespread destruction.
President Trump took to his Truth Social platform to share news of the strike and announced an 11 am ET press conference to provide more information on the operation.
A CBS News report confirms that Delta Force, the U.S. Army’s special missions unit, carried out the strike and capture of President Maduro and his wife Cilia. U.S.
Attorney General Pam Bondi backed Trump’s announcement with one of her own, stating that Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District Court of New York.
Bondi says 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.”
She added, “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
The strike comes after months of elevated aggression toward the nation, with War Secretary Pete Hegseth leading an extensive operation to sink alleged drug transport boats in hopes of stopping the transport of narcotics into the United States. Last month, the U.S. military prevented oil tankers from leaving the region in an orchestrated blockade.
In an Al Jazeera report, Venezuela is accusing the United States of targeting both civilian and military locations in the strike and has denounced the attack as “military aggression.”
World leaders have also commented on the strike, with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing this morning that his nation was not involved in the attack and is still examining the facts.
Russian officials are condemning the strike and have pledged their support for Venezuelans ahead of an emergency United Nations meeting.
“The pretexts cited to justify these actions are untenable. Ideologically driven hostility has prevailed over practical pragmatism and a willingness to build relations based on trust and predictability,” read a portion of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement as shared by The Moscow Times.
It added, “We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for the course pursued by its Bolivarian leadership to defend the country’s national interests and sovereignty.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei shared Russia’s sentiment, writing on X, “What’s important is when one realizes an enemy wants to force something on one’s govt. or nation with false claims, they must stand firmly against that enemy. We won’t give in to them. With reliance on God & confidence in the people’s support, we’ll bring the enemy to its knees.”
As this situation continues to develop, we will update this post with any important updates.
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