United States President Donald Trump announced the successful capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife following a major US operation. Breaking the news via his Truth Social platform on a Saturday, Trump revealed that the mission involved a “large-scale strike” coordinated with US law enforcement, confirming that the Venezuelan leader and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country. This dramatic development followed a recent escalation by the US government, which had just months prior doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, based on his alleged role in international drug trafficking. The announcement was succeeded by a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago club, Trump described the operation as highly effective and involving extensive US military assets. He highlighted that it was an “incredible thing to see” and remarkably, “not a single American service member was killed and not a single piece of American equipment was lost,” despite encountering significant opposition and gunfire. The operation, which he termed a “pinpoint” attack, involved many helicopters, planes, and numerous personnel. Trump noted that they had managed to get Maduro by “sort of surprise,” even though the opposition seemed to be waiting for something. He added that the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a “certain expertise that we have,” describing the early morning capture as “dark and deadly.”

Providing further details of the capture, Trump explained that Maduro was seized from his heavily fortified residence before he could reach a secure, steel-enclosed safe place. “He was trying to get into a safe place. You know, the safe place’s all steel, and he wasn’t able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast,” Trump stated. He praised the swiftness and precision of the operation, noting that although a few US personnel were injured, there were no fatalities. The president also revealed that the operation had initially been planned several days earlier but was delayed due to weather conditions. Furthermore, Trump mentioned that while a second, much bigger wave of military operations was prepared, the success of the first wave made it unlikely to be necessary.

Following his capture, an image shared by President Trump on Truth Social depicted Nicolas Maduro in US custody aboard the USS Iwo Jima. In the photograph, Maduro, dressed in a gray Nike sweatsuit, clutched a water bottle. His eyes were covered with a blacked-out covering, and what appeared to be large headphones were over his ears, though his wife, Cilia Flores, was not pictured.

Trump later confirmed that Maduro was being taken to New York to face charges, after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Venezuelan leader had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on narcoterrorism charges. Bondi affirmed that Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” Federal prosecutors had originally indicted Maduro in 2020 during Trump’s first administration, alleging that he and senior Venezuelan officials conspired with the Colombian guerrilla group FARC to traffic cocaine and weapons into the United States. On Saturday, Bondi confirmed a superseding indictment had been filed, prepared by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, accusing Maduro of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices, mirroring the 2020 charges.

During the press conference, President Trump announced that the United States would temporarily “run” Venezuela following Maduro’s capture, pending what he described as a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power. He did not provide a timeline for this transition, stating, “We’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place.” Trump emphasized that the US intervention was to ensure that the eventual next leader would have the “good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” adding, “We’re not afraid to have boots on the ground.” Discussions were also ongoing for designating individuals to oversee governance in Venezuela.

Furthermore, Trump outlined plans for Venezuela’s economic future, stating his intention to authorize US oil companies to take over the country’s energy infrastructure. He asserted that these corporations, described as “the biggest anywhere in the world,” would “spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”