US strikes Venezuela, Trump says military “captured” President Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the United States after his capture by US forces in Caracas.

Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of a US government plane at a New York state National Guard facility, and was slowly escorted along the tarmac.

The leftist leader was expected to be flown by helicopter to New York City, where he faces drug trafficking charges.

The plane carrying Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has reportedly arrived in New York, Reuters and local media outlets reported.

The United Nations Security Council will meet Monday to discuss the US operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, the Somali presidency of the Council told AFP on Saturday.

The emergency meeting, scheduled for 10:00 am (1500 GMT), was requested by Venezuela and relayed by Colombia, diplomatic sources said.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was briefed on what he described as the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, alleging they are slated for imprisonment in federal custody in New York City.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Mamdani wrote that he had been informed of “the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City.”

Mamdani condemned the operation, calling it illegal under both U.S. and international law.

“Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law,” he wrote.

He also warned that the abduction would have direct consequences for New York City residents, particularly members of the city’s Venezuelan community.

“This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home,” Mamdani said, adding that his administration’s priority was public safety.

“My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance,” he wrote.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Saturday the government was ready "to defend" the country after an early-morning operation in which the US military seized strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Rodriguez, who is next in line to succeed Maduro, insisted in a live address that "We are ready to defend Venezuela; we are ready to defend our natural resources" after US President Donald Trump said Washington intends to "run" the Caribbean nation and tap its huge oil reserves.

Nicolas Maduro is Venezuela's "only president" his vice president Delcy Rodriguez said Saturday, demanding the United States release the strongman arrested in a military operation Saturday.

Speaking live on television, Rodriguez demanded "the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The only president of Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro."

'Israel's' foreign minister on Saturday hailed the American nighttime operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, saying Washington acted as the "leader of the free world".

"Israel stands alongside the freedom-loving Venezuelan people, who have suffered under Maduro's illegal tyranny. Israel welcomes the removal of the dictator who led a network of drugs and terror and hopes for the return of democracy to the country and for friendly relations between the states," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a sworn foe of Cuba's communist government, warned Havana on Saturday after US forces deposed its ally Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

"If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned at least a little bit," Rubio told a news conference alongside President Donald Trump.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday brushed aside Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as a potential interim leader of Venezuela, as he said Washington was working with deposed Nicolas Maduro's vice president.

"I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country," Trump told a news conference.

"She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect."

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, with whom he has sparred in recent months, should "watch his as*" after the US military operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

"He's making cocaine and they're sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his as*," Trump told a press conference.

Petro described Washington's actions as an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisis.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the US military action in Venezuela on Saturday, calling it legitimate 'defence', even as she said outside military force should not be used for regime change.

"The government believes that external military action is not the way to end totalitarian regimes, but at the same time considers defensive intervention against hybrid attacks on its security to be legitimate, as in the case of state entities that fuel and promote drug trafficking," the far-right leader, an ally of US President Donald Trump, said in a statement.

Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced that it is closely monitoring the situation of Jordanians living in or visiting Venezuela amid recent political developments in the country.

Spokesperson Ambassador Fouad Al-Majali said the Ministry, through its Directorate of Operations and the Jordanian Embassy in Brasília, is maintaining constant contact to ensure the safety and well-being of all Jordanian nationals. He confirmed that all Jordanians in Venezuela are safe and have not been harmed.

The Ministry urged Jordanians in Venezuela to reach out for assistance at any time through the following channels:

Jordanian Embassy in Brazil Hotline: +55 61 99698 7070
Operations Center in Amman: +962 7 9956 2903 | +962 7 9956 2471 | +962 7 9956 2193
Email: [email protected]
The Ministry emphasized that support is available 24/7 for all Jordanians in need of assistance.

President Donald Trump said Saturday the United States will "run" Venezuela until a political transition can occur, after the spectacular US military operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from the country.

"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump told a press conference, adding that US forces were ready to conduct a second, "much bigger" wave of strikes if necessary.

President Donald Trump posted a photo Saturday of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in custody on a US naval ship and wearing both a blindfold and handcuffs.

"Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, along with a picture showing Maduro hours after he was snatched by US forces.

The Venezuelan leader had on what appeared to be noise-canceling ear muffs and grey Nike-branded sweatpants and jacket.

The New York Times reports that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) worked with a Venezuelan government source to monitor President Nicolás Maduro’s whereabouts in the lead‑up to his arrest by US forces, according to people familiar with the intelligence operation. 

The source inside Venezuela provided the CIA with detailed information on Maduro’s location and movements in the days and hours before he was detained. US intelligence then used covert surveillance, including unmanned stealth aircraft, to maintain near‑continuous observation over key areas, the report said. 

The New York Times described how CIA‑controlled drones flew undetected over Venezuelan territory to gather real‑time intelligence on Maduro’s position. The combination of the internal source’s reporting and aerial surveillance helped US planners time and execute the move that resulted in his capture. 

Fox News reports that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could make an initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan as soon as this coming Monday, according to US media sources. 

The timing of the appearance “could change at this stage”, but his first hearing in the Southern District of New York is expected early in the week. The court appearance would stem from long‑standing criminal charges filed by US prosecutors, including allegations related to drug trafficking and other offenses. 

Transfer after capture

Maduro’s potential court date follows an extraordinary US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in his capture and reported extraction to American custody. Donald Trump said the operation was carried out by US forces and that Maduro and his wife were flown out of Venezuela. 

Legal and political context

Maduro has been indicted previously in the Southern District of New York, including on charges related to narco‑terrorism conspiracy and cocaine trafficking allegations, according to legal reporting. 

US officials are now preparing for his appearance before a federal judge, a rare legal development that could have significant diplomatic and legal implications as the United States moves to prosecute a foreign head of state.

If Maduro does appear before a federal court on Monday, prosecutors are expected to outline the charges and next steps, including potential bail conditions or detention. The proceedings will attract global attention given the unusual circumstances surrounding his capture and extradition.

In a dramatic political development following the reported capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the name of prominent opposition leader María Corina Machado has emerged as a potential figure to lead a transitional phase in the country.

The shift gained momentum after  U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is considering backing Machado to take over Venezuela’s leadership.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump was asked whether he would support Machado,who is currently in Norway, to lead Venezuela. He responded: “We’re going to have to look at it right now.”

Trump added: “They [Venezuela] have a vice president, as you know. I don’t know what kind of an election that was, but, you know, the election of Maduro was a disgrace.”

The U.S. president described Maduro’s capture as a turning point, saying it “sends a signal we’re not going to be pushed around anymore.” He also linked developments in Venezuela to broader U.S. security concerns, alleging that the United States is losing hundreds of thousands of people each year to drugs, and stressing: “We’re not going to allow it anymore with this.”

France on Saturday condemned the American operation that resulted in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying it undermined international law while no solution to the country's crisis can be imposed from the outside.

Maduro "gravely violated" the rights of Venezuelans, but the military operation that led to him being grabbed "contravenes the principle of non-use of force, which underpins international law", Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X.

"No lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside", he said, warning that "the increasing violations" of this principle by permanent UN Security Council members "will have serious consequences for global security, sparing no one".

President Donald Trump said Saturday he watched live as US special forces abducted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a daring raid, saying it looked like "a television show."

"I mean, I watched it, literally, like I was watching a television show. And if you would have seen the speed, the violence," Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox News.

"We watched every aspect of it."

"We'll be involved in it very much. And we want to do liberty for the people," Trump told Fox News in a telephone interview, adding that the daring raid by US special forces showed that Washington was "not going to be pushed around."

"He was in a fortress," Trump added in the interview.

"You know, that we had nobody killed was amazing," he said, adding that a "couple of guys were hit, but they came back and they're supposed to be in pretty good shape."

Trump says Venezuela's Maduro will be brought to New York

Military police guard the entrance to Fort Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex situated in the south of Caracas, which was one of the targets of overnight US strikes.

President Donald Trump says that US forces have “captured” Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a months-long standoff between Trump and his Venezuelan arch-foe.

Turkey on Saturday called on all parties to act with "restraint" after US forces abducted Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro and bombed its capital Caracas.

"In order to prevent the current situation from leading to negative consequences for regional and international security, we call on all parties to act with restraint," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

US Vice President JD Vance said Saturday that Venezuela ignored offers to reach a settlement, adding that abducted leader Nicolas Maduro was the "newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says."

"The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States," Vance said in a post on X.

Vance also doubled down on the US justification that Maduro was a fugitive from US law, saying: "You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas."

Images released by the Venezuelan presidency show President Nicolas Maduro receiving Qiu Xiaoqi, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Latin American Affairs, in Caracas, hours before President Donald Trump announced US forces had “captured” the Venezuelan leader in a large-scale assault.

Footage of US Army Apache attack helicopters attacking the Fort Tiuna military installation during the early Saturday morning attack in Caracas, Venezuela. 

Venezuela on Saturday demanded an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the US attacks on the country, amid uncertainty over the whereabouts of President Nicolas Maduro.

"Faced with the criminal aggression committed by the US government against our homeland, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which is responsible for upholding international law," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil wrote on the Telegram messaging platform.

The United States announced drug and terrorism charges against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, a few hours after Donald Trump announced that US forces had “captured” Maduro and his wife and flown them out of the country.

“Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York,” US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said on X.

Nicolas Maduro was charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States, according to Bondi.

Russia on Saturday demanded "immediate" clarification about the circumstances of the reported US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during an attack ordered by President Donald Trump.

"We are extremely alarmed by reports that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were forcibly removed from the country as a result of today's US aggression. We call for an immediate clarification of the situation," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Footage circulating on social media shows what appears to be a US strike on a Venezuelan air defense battery near a military base in the capital Caracas early Saturday.

Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Saturday his country "will overcome" a wave of US military strikes which Washington said also included the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro.

Cabello, considered one of the most powerful men in Caracas, told a local television broadcast that "at the end of these attacks, we will overcome," adding that "this is not our first battle against our people... we have managed to survive under all circumstances."

The EU called for "restraint" and respect for international law in Venezuela on Saturday after President Donald Trump announced US forces had "captured" leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale assault.

"The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition," the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X after speaking with her US counterpart Marco Rubio.

"Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint," she wrote.

Imagery provided by Flightradar24 shows Venezuela's empty airspace as explosions rocked the capital Caracas.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had “captured” Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country.

Hamas joined the wave of international reactions to the recent developments in Latin America on Saturday, issuing a sharp statement condemning the US military strikes on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.

The movement stated it denounces "in the strongest terms" the US operation, which resulted in what it characterized as the "kidnapping" of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

“Imperialist Ambitions”

Hamas argued that the military action is not an isolated incident but rather an "extension of unjust American policies."

The group said that US interventions are driven by "imperialist ambitions" that have historically plunged numerous countries into bloody conflicts, posing a direct threat to international peace and security.

The movement concluded its statement by issuing an urgent appeal to the international community, the United Nations, and specifically the UN Security Council.

Iran on Saturday condemned what it described as an American attack on Venezuela, after Caracas accused the United States of being behind explosions that rocked the capital.

The Iranian foreign ministry in a statement said it "strongly condemns the American military attack on Venezuela and the flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country".

A top US diplomat said Saturday that Venezuela was experiencing a "new dawn" after President Donald Trump said US forces seized leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.

"A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now -- finally -- face justice for his crimes," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on Saturday called on the United States to issue "proof of life" of leader Nicolas Maduro who was captured by US forces, according to President Donald Trump.

Speaking by telephone to Venezuelan TV Rodriguez said she did not know the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a series of US strikes on Caracas and other cities.

Trump said Maduro and Flores had been captured by US forces and flown out of Venezuela.

Spain on Saturday offered to mediate in the crisis between the United States and Venezuela after US attacks on Caracas and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, who was flown out of his country.

"Spain calls for de-escalation and restraint," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that "in this regard ... it is prepared to offer its good offices to achieve a peaceful, negotiated solution to the current crisis".