Former US President Donald Trump has published an undignified photograph of a captured Nicolas Maduro, confirming the Venezuelan president and his wife have been seized by American forces and will face criminal charges in Manhattan.
Daring Dawn Raid in Caracas
The dramatic operation unfolded in the early hours of Saturday morning, Venezuela time. Elite soldiers from the US Army's Delta Force unit stormed the presidential residence in Caracas, extracting Maduro and his spouse, Cilia, from their beds. The strike, which targeted five sites across Venezuela including three in the capital, was executed without any reported casualties according to a source.
Trump later described watching the mission unfold, telling Fox News' 'Fox & Friends' programme, "I watched it literally like I was watching a television show. If you would've seen the speed, the violence - it was an amazing thing." He hailed the mission as 'brilliant' in an interview with The New York Times.
Image of Captivity and Impending Charges
The photo shared by Trump on his TruthSocial platform shows Maduro clad in a grey tracksuit, holding a plastic water bottle. His eyes are covered by a heavy black plastic mask and his ears are muffled, a measure typically used to disorient detainees and keep locations secret. It remains unclear if this was his attire during capture or if it was provided by US forces.
Addressing a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Saturday, Trump stated that Maduro is currently being held aboard the USS Iwo Jima warship and will be transported to New York City to face federal charges related to drugs and weapons smuggling. In a significant escalation, Trump also asserted that First Lady Cilia Maduro was complicit in her husband's alleged schemes and would similarly face criminal charges.
Political Fallout and Future of Venezuela
The operation sent shockwaves through Caracas, with local reports of explosions during the raid. Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab claimed 'innocents' had been 'mortally wounded', a claim contradicted by US sources.
Trump outlined the US intention to 'run' Venezuela temporarily to prevent a power vacuum. He indicated that Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado is poised to assume the presidency. Machado, a prominent opposition figure, was banned from standing in Venezuelan elections during Maduro's tenure.
The bold military intervention marks an unprecedented step in US-Venezuela relations, setting the stage for a complex legal and political battle in the days ahead.
