GG News Bureau
Washington/New York, 4th — The United States carried out a dramatic military operation against Venezuela early Saturday, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and temporarily assuming control of the country, according to U.S. officials and statements from President Donald Trump.
In a press conference hours after the operation, President Trump said Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the country” during what he described as a “large-scale strike” by U.S. forces. Trump said the United States would “run the country” on a temporary basis during a transition period, adding that the goal was to stabilize Venezuela and “get the oil flowing.”
U.S. officials told CBS News that the operation was carried out by the Army’s Delta Force, one of the military’s most elite special operations units. The strike targeted key military and security installations, including Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex located in Caracas. According to the Associated Press, Maduro and his wife were captured at their residence within the complex.
Photos shared with CBS News show extensive damage at Fuerte Tiuna, including burned vehicles and heavily damaged structures. The images suggest intense fighting or airstrikes in and around the compound, though the full scale of casualties or destruction has not been officially disclosed.
Maduro and his wife were flown to the United States and landed in New York on Saturday. By Saturday night, Maduro had arrived at a detention facility in New York City. U.S. authorities say he is expected to face federal charges related to drug trafficking and alleged collaboration with criminal gangs designated by Washington as terrorist organizations. Maduro has repeatedly denied such accusations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that prosecutors have filed a superseding indictment against Maduro, similar to one first brought in 2020. That earlier case accused the Venezuelan leader of running a “narco-terrorism” conspiracy aimed at flooding the United States with cocaine.
The military action follows months of heightened U.S. activity in the Caribbean region. The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, along with other U.S. warships, had been positioned nearby. In recent weeks, the administration also authorized a series of deadly strikes on more than 30 boats that U.S. officials said were involved in drug trafficking.
The scope of the operation briefly disrupted regional air travel. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration imposed restrictions on Caribbean airspace early Saturday but lifted them by midnight Eastern Time. “Flights can resume,” Duffy said, adding that airlines had been notified. There was no immediate clarification on whether airspace over Venezuela itself had been reopened.
Adding to the shock of the day, the White House Rapid Response account posted a video on X that appeared to show Maduro being escorted through a hallway by agents wearing DEA jackets. The carpet beneath his feet read “DEA NYD,” and the post was captioned simply: “Perp walked.”
International reaction was still unfolding late Saturday, as governments and global institutions assessed the legal and geopolitical consequences of a U.S. military takeover of a sovereign nation. For now, Washington says its control of Venezuela is temporary — but the events mark one of the most extraordinary U.S. foreign interventions in decades.
