Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro Has Been Captured after US Conducted “Large Scale Strike’” on Country

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured and flown from the country, President Donald Trump announced early Saturday after confirming that the U.S. forces conducted what he called “a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader.”

In a post on social media, Trump said Maduro’s wife was also seized in the operation conducted along with U.S. law enforcement.

Trump said he planned to deliver a statement later Saturday morning.

Associated Press [AP] had earlier reported that at least seven explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through the capital of Venezuela early Saturday, with the government of leader Nicolás Maduro accusing the United States of attacking civilian and military installations following a monthslong pressure campaign.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ban on U.S. commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace because of “ongoing military activity” ahead of the explosions in Caracas. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. about its role, the targets or the purpose of the strikes.

The explosions in Caracas sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report hearing and seeing the blasts. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. The apparent attack lasted less than 30 minutes, but it was unclear if more actions were ahead. Two hours later, parts of the city remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was without power.

“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”

● No immediate response from the US

The explosions come as the Trump administration has escalated a pressure campaign on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.

President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land following months of attacks on boats accused of carrying drugs. Maduro has decried the U.S. military operations as a thinly veiled effort to oust him from power.

Pentagon referred requests for comment to the White House, which didn’t immediately return calls or emails seeking comment. Calls to the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the region, went unanswered.

Trump is at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has spent the last two weeks for the holiday season. His public schedule showed he was set to receive an intelligence briefing on Friday evening, hours before the reported strikes. He offered no immediate comment on social media.