UNITED States President Donald Trump has announced that American forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following what he described as a “large-scale” U.S. military strike on Venezuela.
Trump made the stunning announcement on Saturday via his social media platform, Truth Social, saying the operation was carried out jointly by the U.S. military and law enforcement agencies.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”
The claim marks one of the most dramatic foreign interventions announced by a U.S. president in decades and follows months of escalating military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the oil-rich South American nation.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, Trump described the mission as “brilliant,” crediting extensive planning and the performance of U.S. forces.
“A lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump was quoted as saying.
He later announced that he would hold a news conference at 11:00 a.m. (1600 GMT) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he is spending the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Hours after the announcement, Trump released what he said was the first photograph of Nicolás Maduro in U.S. custody.
The image, posted on Truth Social on January 3, shows Maduro seated aboard the USS Iwo Jima, a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship. He was dressed in a grey sweatsuit, holding a water bottle, wearing what appeared to be sound-suppressing earmuffs and a dark covering over his eyes.
Trump said Maduro and his wife were removed from Venezuela by helicopter during the overnight operation and taken to the naval vessel, where they were being held pending transfer to the United States.
“They’re on a ship, but they’ll be heading into New York,” Trump said during a Fox News appearance.
Following Trump’s announcement, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed that Maduro and his wife would face prosecution in the United States.
Posting on X, Bondi said the Venezuelan leader and his wife would soon face “the full wrath of American justice.”
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” she wrote.
Bondi recalled that Maduro and Flores are already named in a New York federal indictment on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and illegal weapons offenses.
In a subsequent news conference, Trump said the United States would “run the country” until a “proper transition of leadership” could be arranged, though he provided few details on what form U.S. governance or oversight would take.
The announcement has raised immediate questions about international law, sovereignty, and the long-term implications of U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s internal affairs.
Trump’s claim of Maduro’s capture follows months of mounting pressure on the Venezuelan government. The United States, along with several European countries, has long refused to recognise Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
A significant U.S. naval and aerial presence had already been established in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and multiple warships.
As part of the campaign, U.S. forces reportedly seized two oil tankers, enforced an oil blockade, and carried out aerial strikes targeting small boats accused of drug trafficking. U.S. officials say more than 100 people were killed in those operations.
Earlier this week, Trump confirmed that U.S. forces had struck and destroyed a docking facility used by alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers, marking the first acknowledged U.S. strike on Venezuelan soil during the campaign.
The announcement came just two days after Maduro attempted to open dialogue with Trump, offering cooperation on drug trafficking and illegal migration—an overture that now appears to have failed.
Trump has repeatedly accused Venezuela of exporting drugs into the United States and illegally seizing American oil interests. While he has stopped short of explicitly calling for Maduro’s removal in the past, he has warned that the Venezuelan leader’s “days are numbered.”
As global reactions continue to pour in, the international community awaits further details from Washington, amid fears that the unprecedented move could trigger regional instability and far-reaching geopolitical consequences.