The US Captured Venezuela President Maduro in a Military Operation

The world first learned about the operation through videos that spread rapidly on social media. At around 2:00 a.m. local time, residents of Caracas began posting footage showing explosions, smoke, and low-flying military helicopters over the city. People reported hearing loud blasts and the sound of aircraft flying very close to the ground. Social media platforms quickly filled with videos and images from residents documenting the unfolding military operation.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro was among the first world leaders to respond. Just minutes after the explosions began, he posted: “Right now they are bombing Caracas. Alert to the whole world, they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. The OAS and the UN must meet immediately.” He later shared video footage of the attacks.

President Trump made the official announcement at 4:21 a.m. on his Truth Social platform. He wrote: “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country.” Later that morning, Trump posted a photo showing Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, blindfolded and handcuffed.

Operation Absolute Resolve was the result of five months of military buildup in the Caribbean and South America. The United States began increasing its military presence in the region in mid-August 2025. Officials said the stated goal was to combat drug trafficking. By late August, the U.S. had deployed thousands of Navy and Marine troops to the Caribbean, along with warships and submarines.

The military presence expanded significantly in November 2025. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the region along with its support ships. This brought the total number of U.S. troops in the area to approximately 15,000. It marked the largest U.S. military deployment in the region in decades. The buildup also included hundreds of military flights, with surveillance aircraft gathering intelligence.

Throughout the fall, tensions steadily increased. The U.S. military conducted operations against vessels suspected of drug trafficking. In December, the situation escalated further when U.S. forces seized oil tankers and imposed a blockade on Venezuelan oil shipments. The United States also designated groups linked to Maduro as terrorist organizations.

After the operation, Maduro and his wife were flown to New York City aboard military aircraft. They arrived on Saturday afternoon and are being held to face charges related to drug trafficking and terrorism. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Maduro and Flores had been charged with assisting drug cartels, trafficking cocaine into the United States, and committing weapons-related crimes. She stated: “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

At a press conference held at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, President Trump described the operation in strong terms. He called it “one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.” Trump then made a surprising statement about Venezuela’s future, saying: “We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.”

Other Trump administration officials also issued strong remarks about the operation. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used blunt language, saying Maduro “f’d around and found out.” According to The Hill, he added that Trump was “deadly serious” about stopping gangs and drugs from entering the United States and “deadly serious about reestablishing American deterrence and dominance in the Western Hemisphere.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Maduro “had multiple opportunities to avoid this” and was offered “very, very, very generous offers,” but “chose instead to act like a wild man.” Rubio stated that Maduro “is not the legitimate president of Venezuela. He is a fugitive of American justice.” House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed Maduro for “the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans after years of trafficking illegal drugs and violent cartel members into our country.”

The Venezuelan government responded quickly and forcefully to the U.S. operation. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof that Maduro and his wife were alive. She said: “In the face of this brutal attack, at this moment we do not know the place in which President Nicolás Maduro is, along with his wife, so we are demanding President Donald Trump provide proof of life of President Nicolás Maduro and also the First Lady Cilia Flores,” as quoted by Yahoo News.

Vladimir Padrino López, Venezuela’s defense minister, accused U.S. forces of striking civilians during the attack. Quoted by NBC, he said that the United States “has desecrated our soil, going so far as to strike, using missiles and rockets fired from their combat helicopters, residential areas populated by civilians.”

The Venezuelan government has also requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council. “In response to the criminal aggression perpetrated by the U.S. government against our nation, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the body responsible for upholding international law,” said Yvan Gil, Venezuela’s foreign minister, on Telegram, as quoted by WION.