CARACAS, Venezuela — U.S. forces launched sweeping strikes before dawn Saturday, and President Donald Trump said Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown out of the country. The Maduro captured claim capped months of U.S. accusations of drug trafficking and election fraud that Caracas denies, Jan. 3, 2026.
Maduro captured: what Trump said and what is known so far
Trump announced “Maduro captured” in a social media post and promised details at an 11 a.m. news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. A U.S. official told Reuters that elite special forces carried out the operation, but U.S. authorities did not immediately say where the couple was taken. The action marked the most direct U.S. military intervention in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
Residents reported loud blasts and low-flying aircraft beginning around 2 a.m. local time, with smoke later visible near key sites. In one account shared with NPR, a journalist said two explosions hit the La Carlota military airport area before additional detonations echoed across the city for more than an hour.
Venezuela’s government declared a national emergency and said strikes hit sites in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, calling the attack “very serious military aggression.” U.S. officials told CBS News that Army Delta Force carried out the capture, and a Venezuelan opposition spokesman cited damage at the Fuerte Tiuna military complex, the La Carlota air base and the port of La Guaira.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said the government did not know the whereabouts of Maduro and Flores and demanded “proof of life.” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López denounced what he called a foreign “invasion” and said troops were being deployed nationwide.
International backlash and unanswered questions
As the Maduro captured claim spread, several governments urged restraint and called for emergency diplomacy. In a roundup of statements, Reuters reported that Russia condemned the strikes as “armed aggression,” while the European Union urged adherence to international law and the U.N. Charter.
Casualty figures were not immediately available. Venezuelan officials said civilians and military personnel died but did not provide numbers; flight trackers showed Venezuelan airspace empty as security forces patrolled parts of the capital.
Continuity: a yearslong U.S. pressure campaign
The operation follows years of U.S. legal and economic pressure on Maduro’s government. In 2020, U.S. prosecutors accused Maduro and other officials of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking in a case outlined in a Justice Department announcement.
Disputes over Venezuela’s elections have also fueled international friction. In July 2024, both the government and opposition claimed victory in a tense presidential vote, with allegations of fraud and irregularities described by Reuters in its election coverage.
Whether Maduro captured leads to a swift transition or a prolonged power struggle now depends on what happens inside Venezuela — and on what evidence the United States offers about Maduro’s location, legal status and the scope of further action.
