The United States has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a series of airstrikes on Caracas. Donald Trump announced the operation, which saw Maduro flown out of the country. US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated they will face trial in New York on narco-terrorism charges, with a fresh indictment issued on Saturday.
The capture follows months of intense US military pressure, including a naval buildup off Venezuela's coast and airstrikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. At least 110 people have been killed in these strikes, which human rights groups say could constitute war crimes. The operation is the largest direct US action in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion, stunning the international community.
Trump declared the US would 'run the country' until a leadership transition, and that US oil companies would enter Venezuela. However, the Venezuelan military appears to remain in control. The country's supreme court has ordered Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez to assume acting presidency during Maduro's 'temporary absence'. Trump claimed Rodríguez has offered support to Washington.
Rodríguez, a French-educated technocrat with leftist roots, has links to economic elites and foreign investors. Trump dismissed the democratic opposition, stating Nobel laureate María Corina Machado lacks the support to lead. The future of Venezuela's ruling regime remains uncertain amid the crisis.
