The United States carried out what President Donald Trump described as a “large-scale” military operation against Venezuela early Saturday, claiming that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown out of the country.
In a statement, Trump said the operation resulted in the detention of Maduro, whom the U.S. has long accused of leading a narco-trafficking network and collaborating with gangs designated by Washington as terrorist organizations allegations the Venezuelan leader has repeatedly denied.
U.S. officials told CBS News that the mission to capture Maduro was conducted by Delta Force, the U.S. Army’s elite special operations unit. A Republican senator said Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that Maduro would face criminal charges in the United States, where he was indicted years ago, and suggested the administration does not anticipate further military action inside Venezuela.
The strikes followed months of heightened U.S. military activity in the region, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and other warships to the Caribbean. In recent weeks, the United States has seized two oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast, carried out strikes on more than 30 vessels it says were transporting illegal drugs, and targeted what Trump described as “the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post that Maduro and his wife would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” Bondi said Maduro has been indicted on at least four federal charges, including narco-terrorism offenses and weapons charges “against the United States.” She added that the case is being handled in the Southern District of New York, the same jurisdiction that brought charges against Maduro in 2020. Flores was not previously charged.
It was not immediately clear whether Bondi was referring solely to the existing indictment or whether new charges would be filed. She praised President Trump for “demanding accountability on behalf of the American people” and thanked the U.S. military for what she called a successful mission.
As of Saturday, there was no independent confirmation from Venezuelan authorities or international observers regarding Maduro’s whereabouts or the details of the operation. The developments drew swift condemnation and concern from governments around the world, as questions mounted over the legality and potential consequences of the U.S. action.
