US captures President Maduro in overnight raid, explosions occur in Caracas
Explosions occurred in Caracas and neighboring states as US forces occupied Maduro, Venezuela, amid claims of military invasion.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump acknowledged in the early morning hours of January 3 that the United States had carried out an overnight attack on Venezuela, saying that the country’s leader Nicolas Maduro had been detained and removed from the country.
President Trump made the announcement on social media hours after the explosion in the capital, Caracas.
“The United States successfully launched a major attack on Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured and exiled along with his wife. This operation was conducted in coordination with U.S. law enforcement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The US president said he would announce further details at a press conference at 11 a.m. EDT at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. President Trump was scheduled to spend the holidays at a private resort in Palm Beach and return to Washington on Sunday.
Venezuela’s government claimed the United States was behind the military operation, days after President Trump acknowledged that the United States had carried out covert attacks on the country’s port facilities. President Trump’s statement was the first official confirmation that the United States carried out the attack.
The operation follows a months-long military buildup in the Caribbean by the Trump administration, as well as a series of attacks on alleged drug vessels and the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker.
