WASHINGTON / CARACAS (Realist English). Donald Trump said the United States has captured Nicolás Maduro following what he described as a large-scale US strike on Caracas. In a post on social media, Trump said Maduro had been flown out of Venezuela and announced a news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.
US officials familiar with the operation told CNN that Maduro is being transported to New York City, where he is expected to face charges in federal court in Manhattan. According to the sources, a team of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents accompanied US special operations forces during the capture.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro has been indicted in New York on drug trafficking and weapons charges and would “soon face American justice in American courts.” Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Republican senator that Maduro would stand trial in the United States and indicated he did not anticipate further military action.
US law enforcement officials said the Drug Enforcement Administration has spent years building a case against Maduro and senior Venezuelan military figures, work that is expected to underpin the charges.
In Caracas, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said the government was unaware of the whereabouts of Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. She accused the United States of carrying out an attack that resulted in the deaths of government officials, members of the armed forces and civilians across the country.
The developments, if confirmed, would mark a dramatic escalation in US–Venezuela relations and the most direct US action against Maduro since Washington first indicted him on narcotics-related charges in 2020.
