Explosions have been reported in Caracas following threats from US President Donald Trump, as the Venezuelan crisis deepens. The blasts come hours after Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was captured by US troops and flown to New York, where he now faces charges.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, on Saturday evening before being transferred to Manhattan. He was later taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal facility that has housed high-profile prisoners including Ghislaine Maxwell.
President Trump announced that the US would be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry following the military operation. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the action meant “the drugs stop flowing” and “the oil that was taken from us is returned”.
The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday, with Secretary-General António Guterres describing the US intervention as “a dangerous precedent”. At least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the attack, according to a senior Venezuelan official.
In the US, hundreds of Venezuelan expatriates in Florida celebrated Maduro’s capture, waving flags and chanting “liberty”. Some expressed hope of returning home to reunite with family members they had not seen for years.
Venezuela’s supreme court has ordered Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president in Maduro’s absence, as the country faces an uncertain future.
