US President Donald Trump has claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been “captured and flown out of the country” following what he described as a large-scale US operation against Venezuela.
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In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump wrote that the United States had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro,” adding that Maduro and his wife had been detained and removed from the country in an operation carried out “in conjunction with US law enforcement.”
Trump said further details would follow and announced a news conference scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at Mar-a-Lago.
The claim came as Venezuela accused the United States of an “extremely serious military aggression” after a series of explosions shook the capital, Caracas, in the early hours of Saturday. The blasts followed months of mounting pressure and threats from the Trump administration.
US media outlets, including Fox News and CBS News, reported that the United States was conducting military strikes on Venezuela, a dramatic escalation that many Venezuelans had feared in recent weeks. However, as of Saturday morning, neither the White House nor the Pentagon had officially commented on the alleged attacks or Trump’s claim regarding Maduro’s capture.
According to an AFP journalist in Caracas, explosions accompanied by the sound of aircraft flying overhead were heard around 2:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT). Additional blasts were reported in La Guaira, north of the capital, where the country’s main airport and port are located.
In a statement, the Venezuelan government said it “rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people.” President Maduro also declared a state of emergency.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations, warning of the regional implications of the strikes. “Alerting the whole world that they have attacked Venezuela,” Petro wrote on social media platform X.
Confusion and fear spread through Caracas as residents tried to understand what was happening. Many rushed to windows and balconies after being woken by the noise of explosions and aircraft.
“From here, we can hear explosions near Fort Tiuna,” said Emmanuel Parabavis, 29, referring to a major military base in the capital. “Right now, you can hear something that sounds like a machine gun. There are a lot of detonations and gunfire,” he told AFP from the El Valle district.
Residents also reported power outages in parts of the city.
Francis Peña, a 29-year-old communications professional living in eastern Caracas, said he was asleep when his girlfriend woke him, saying, “They’re bombing.”
“I can’t see the explosions, but I think I hear the planes,” Peña said. “We’re starting to prepare a bag with the most important things — passports, cards, cash, candles, a change of clothes, canned food.”
Trump had earlier deployed an aircraft carrier and warships to the Caribbean, initially describing the move as part of an anti–drug smuggling campaign. He has repeatedly threatened military action against Venezuela and said earlier this week that the US had destroyed a docking area allegedly used by Venezuelan drug traffickers — a claim not confirmed by Caracas.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel, allegations the Venezuelan leader has consistently denied. Maduro has accused Washington of attempting to overthrow his government, arguing that US actions are driven by Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
In recent weeks, Washington has tightened sanctions, ordered the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers, and effectively closed Venezuela’s airspace. US forces have also carried out multiple strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific since September, targeting what the Pentagon says are drug-smuggling operations. According to the US military, at least 107 people have been killed in those operations.
AFP
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