Trump claims US captured Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, wife after strikes

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (January 3) said that the US has captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, adding that both have been flown out of the country following a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” stated Trump in a post on Truth Social.

“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M. at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he added. The operation to capture Maduro has been carried out by the U.S. Army's Delta Force, an elite special forces unit, reported CBS News, quoting officials.

Lauding the operation, Trump told The New York Times, “A lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops and great people.”

Trump’s claim comes hours after the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, was rocked by loud explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft.

Venezuela says military being deployed

CBS News reported that the Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez told the state TV that the country demands proof of life of Maduro and his wife, as well as of their whereabouts.

Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced that the military is being deployed across the country following the US strikes. He sought a united front of resistance in the face of the US strikes, terming them “the worst aggression" ever against Venezuela.

Also Read: Emergency in Venezuela after Caracas blasts; Maduro blames US ‘military aggression’

Although López said that all armed forces would be deployed as per "Maduro's orders," he did not say anything about his capture.

Lopez warned against anarchy, stating, "Let's not succumb to the panic the enemy seeks to instil." He further stated the government declared a "state of external commotion," which is effectively a state of emergency.

Spain offers to mediate

Meanwhile, Spain has offered to mediate between the US and Venezuela following the strikes on Caracas and the capture of Maduro.

"Spain calls for de-escalation and restraint," the Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that "in this regard ... it is prepared to offer its good offices to achieve a peaceful, negotiated solution to the current crisis,” reported AFP.

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The Foreign Minister of Belgium said that his country was coordinating with its European partners to monitor the situation in Venezuela.

"Our embassy in Bogotá, which is responsible for Venezuela, and our services in Brussels are fully mobilised. The situation is being closely monitored, in coordination with our European partners," Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prevot stated in a post on X.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry said that it was monitoring the situation and a crisis team will later meet for further discussion, reported Reuters.

Caracas rocked with explosions

Venezuela's government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states.

AP reported that the Pentagon referred requests for comment to the White House, which didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Authority has banned US commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace over “ongoing military activity” ahead of explosions in Caracas.

Panic among people

Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. 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.”

What Venezuela's government said

Venezuela's government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.

“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”

Also Read: US launches military strikes in Syria

The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defence plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.” On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the US to combat drug trafficking.

Maduro also said in a pre-taped interview aired on Thursday that the US wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the month-long pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.

US’ drug charge against Maduro

Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the US. 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 US began strikes on boats in September.

US President Donald Trump, for months, had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The US has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country's economy.

The backdrop

The US military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35, and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation's most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.

Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US and asserted that the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the US.

(With agency inputs)