Caracas, Jan 3: The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.
The legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand — was not immediately clear.
The stunning, lightning-fast American military action, which plucked a nation’s sitting leader from office, echoed the US invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990 — exactly 36 years ago Saturday.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York.
Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4.30 am ET (0930 GMT) and said he would host a news conference at 11 am ET (1600 GMT).
Celebrations erupt in Venezuelan community in South Florida
In South Florida, Venezuelans celebrated the news of Maduro’s capture at a rally held outside a South American eatery.
People wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music was playing at the event. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”
The rally took place in Doral, Florida, a city of 80,000 people surrounded by Miami sprawl and home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States.
European leaders react to Maduro’s capture by the US
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X that she had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the EU ambassador in Caracas.
“The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint.”
— Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for “de-escalation and responsibility. International Law and the principles of the United Nations Charter must be respected,” Sánchez wrote on X.
— Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it is “extremely alarmed” and called for “immediate clarification,” according to a statement posted Saturday on the ministry’s Telegram channel. The ministry said such actions, if confirmed, would constitute “an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state.”
— British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK was not involved in the US operation in Venezuela and that he would seek more information from Trump. Without condemning the US action, Starmer said he always believes that international law should be upheld. “But I think at this stage, fast moving situation, let’s establish the facts and take it from there,” he said.
Reactions in Caracas to US strikes and Maduro’s capture are mixed
At a pro-Maduro protest in the capital, Caracas Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd that demanded that Maduro be returned immediately.
“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. They also said: “We are here Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!” Elsewhere, residents were still taking in the events.
“How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking down at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared, many families couldn’t sleep. I have been on the street, I just got back from Maracay, everything is blocked, everything is bad, very bad.”
“They impose the law,” electrician Alfonso Valdez said about the US government. “They are the police of the world … they are assassins.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Machado’s spokespeople decline comment
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s spokespeople declined to comment on the US operation.
Machado was last seen in public last month, when she emerged from 11 months in hiding and travelled to Norway, where she was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.
US attorney general says Maduro and wife to face criminal charges
US Attorney General Pam Bondi says Maduro and his wife will face criminal charges after an indictment in New York.
Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple will “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
Maduro was indicted in 2020 in New York, but it was not previously known that his wife had been. (AP)
