US captures Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in ‘large scale’ strike
US captures Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in ‘large scale’ strike
President Donald Trump announced early Saturday morning that the US carried out a “large scale strike against Venezuela” and that President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured, a stunning development that plunged the country into uncertainty after weeks of spiraling tensions.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Venezuela requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to the attack, Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto said.
“No cowardly attack will prevail against the strength of this people, who will emerge victorious,” he said on Telegram, sharing the letter sent to the UN.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said in an audio call with state-run VTV that the government doesn’t know the whereabouts of Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, demanding “immediate proof of life” from the Trump administration.
Videos showed helicopters roaring over Caracas, with plumes of smoke rising into the night sky. Footage also showed a large blaze and explosions at an airport in the city of Higuerote.
In a statement before Trump’s announcement, Venezuela’s government condemned what it said was a “very serious grave military aggression,” and accused the US of carrying out an attack on Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López insisted the country would resist the presence of foreign troops in the country.
“This invasion represents the greatest outrage the country has suffered,” he said.
13 people die in two separate accidents
Some Kenyans may end up in ICC after 2027 elections – Moses Kuria warns
Shock as police officer kills colleague, injures boss in Laikipia
Journalist Peter Mwita arrested over WhatsApp post on criminal gangs
He also called for a “massive deployment” of military forces in the country, information from the defense ministry showed.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Times Saturday morning, Trump hailed what he called a “brilliant operation.”
“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump told the Times. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.”
According to the Times, Trump declined to answer questions about whether he had sought congressional authorization for the strike, saying he would address the issue at a news conference on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.
In recent weeks, Trump had repeatedly warned that the US was preparing to take new action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela and that strikes on land will start “soon.”
Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro has included strikes destroying more than 30 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean in what the US has described as a counter-narcotics campaign.
Trump last month ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers coming to and leaving Venezuela.
CJ Koome appoints Judge to preside over Mbeere North election petition
KWS mourns the death of a 54-year-old elephant famed for its long tusks in Amboseli
National Construction Authority (NCA) reveals the owner of collapsed South C building
Safaricom foreign takeover raises questions over Kenya’s 2027 election security – Lawyer Ndegwa
Follow us
