Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes, Trump says

The United States has deed Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” and says its president, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown retired of the state aft months of stepped-up unit by Washington.

President Donald Trump announced the bonzer nighttime cognition connected κοινωνικά media hours aft the attack.

Explosions rang out, and low-flying craft swept done Caracas, the capital, arsenic Maduro’s authorities accused the US of attacking civilian and subject installations.

It was not instantly wide who was moving the country, and Maduro’s whereabouts were not instantly known.

Under Venezuelan law, the vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, would presume power.

No confirmation had been issued, though she did merchandise a statement aft the strike.

“We bash not cognize the whereabouts of President Nicolas Maduro and archetypal woman Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez said.

“We request impervious of life.”

Maduro, Trump said, “has been, on with his wife, captured and flown retired of the Country. This cognition was done successful conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow.”

He acceptable a quality league for Saturday morning.

The ineligible implications of the strike under US instrumentality were not instantly clear.

Republican legislator Mike Lee posted connected X that helium had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio told Lee that Maduro “has been arrested by U.S. unit to stand trial connected transgression charges successful the United States”.

Maduro was indicted successful March 2020 connected “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges successful the Southern District of New York.

The explosions successful Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, aboriginal connected the third time of 2026 – astatine slightest 7 blasts – sent radical rushing into the streets, while others took to κοινωνικά media to study proceeding and seeing the explosions.

It was not instantly wide if there were casualties connected either side.

The onslaught itself lasted little than 30 minutes, and it was unclear if much actions laic ahead, though Trump said successful his station that the strikes were carried retired “successfully”.

US President Trump’s Truth is seen connected the Truth κοινωνικά media app successful this photograph illustration taken successful Warsaw, Poland connected 03 January 2026. Photo: AAP/ Jaap Arriens

The strike came aft the Trump medication spent months escalating unit connected Maduro.

The CIA was down a drone strike past week astatine a docking country believed to person been used by Venezuelan cause cartels – the archetypal known nonstop cognition connected Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes successful September.

For months, Trump had threatened that helium could σύντομα bid strikes connected targets connected Venezuelan onshore pursuing months of attacks connected boats accused of carrying drugs.

Maduro has decried the US subject operations arsenic a thinly veiled effort to oust him from power.

Parts of Caracas remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

Smoke could beryllium seen rising from the hangar of a subject basal successful Caracas, while different subject installation successful the superior was without power.

Venezuela’s authorities responded to the onslaught with a telephone for radical to take to the streets.

“The Bolivarian authorities calls connected each κοινωνικά and governmental forces successful the state to activate mobilisation plans and repudiate this imperialist attack,” it said successful a statement.

Maduro had “ordered each nationalist defence plans to beryllium implemented” and declared “a state of outer disturbance”.

It was not wide if the US Congress had been officially notified of the strikes.

Lawmakers from some governmental parties successful Congress person raised heavy reservations and flat-out objections to the US attacks connected boats suspected of cause smuggling connected boats adjacent the Venezuelan coast, and Congress has not specifically approved an authorisation for the use of subject unit for such operations successful the region.

The US subject has been attacking boats successful the Caribbean Sea and the eastbound Pacific Ocean since aboriginal September.

As of Friday, the fig of known vessel strikes is 35, and the fig of radical killed is astatine slightest 115.

They followed a large build-up of American forces successful the waters disconnected South America.

Trump has justified the vessel strikes arsenic a indispensable escalation to stem the travel of drugs into the US and asserted that the US is engaged successful an “armed conflict” with cause cartels.