While US officials said Maduro was taken into custody and flown out of the country, there has been no independent confirmation from Venezuelan authorities to claims made by Trump.
According to Trump, Maduro and his wife were transported to the United States, where they have been indicted on several charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the couple had been charged in the Southern District of New York with multiple offences, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine trafficking and weapons-related crimes involving machine guns and destructive devices. Bondi said they would face trial in US courts, thanked Trump for “demanding accountability on behalf of the American people,” and praised the US military for what she described as a successful operation against alleged international narcotics traffickers.
US officials cited by CBS News said Maduro was captured early Saturday by members of Delta Force, the US military’s elite special mission unit. The officials said the operation took place in the early morning hours, but did not provide further details. Delta Force previously carried out the 2019 raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
There was no independent confirmation of Maduro’s capture, and Venezuelan authorities did not acknowledge Trump’s claim.
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Shortly after the reported strikes, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced the deployment of military forces across the country in a video posted on social media, CBS News reported. Calling the US action “the worst aggression” Venezuela has ever faced, Padrino López urged unity and resistance, saying all armed forces would be mobilised under “Maduro’s orders.” He did not address reports that the president had been detained.
“They’ve attacked us, but they will not subdue us,” he said, while also appealing for calm and warning against unrest. “Let’s not fall into the panic the enemy seeks to create.”
Months-long push to remove Maduro
Saturday’s developments capped months of escalating pressure by the Trump administration to remove Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since 2013 after succeeding Hugo Chávez. In an interview with The Times, Trump credited the outcome to extensive preparation and military execution, saying, “A lot of good planning and a lot of great troops” were behind the operation.
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of running a “narco-state” and of rigging last year’s presidential election, an outcome rejected by the US, Venezuela’s opposition and several other governments. Maduro has dismissed those allegations as part of a Western-backed conspiracy to overthrow him.
Explosions in Caracas
Residents in Caracas reported at least seven explosions in the early hours of the third day of 2026, with low-flying aircraft seen over the city. Blasts were felt across several neighbourhoods, sending people rushing into the streets. Videos circulating on social media showed fires engulfing buildings and thick plumes of smoke rising over parts of the capital, while power outages were reported near a major military base in the city’s south.
It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. Witnesses said the apparent strike lasted less than half an hour, though uncertainty remained over whether further military action would follow.
Venezuela’s government accused Washington of attacking both civilian and military targets, branding the operation an “imperialist attack.” In a statement, authorities urged supporters to mobilise and said Maduro had ordered all national defence plans to be activated, declaring a “state of external disturbance” that allows expanded military powers and the suspension of certain rights.
Intensifying US pressure
The alleged strike followed months of heightened US action against Maduro’s government. Last week, the CIA reportedly carried out a drone strike on a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels, marking the first publicly known direct US operation on Venezuelan territory since Washington began targeting suspected smuggling vessels at sea last September.
The Trump administration says the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and that the strikes are aimed at stemming the flow of narcotics into the country. Since early September, the US military has conducted at least 35 known strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, killing at least 115 people, according to official figures.
Those operations followed a significant US military buildup near South America, including the deployment of an advanced aircraft carrier in November, described by officials as the largest American military presence in the region in decades.
