Nicolás Maduro’s last words before US forces captured him in Caracas
US forces swooped into Caracas in a pre-dawn operation, arresting Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and spiriting him out of the country. Just hours earlier, in what would become his final public interview, Maduro looked into the camera and offered a parting message: “No war. Yes peace… I leave everything in God’s hands.”
The capture came days after American officials said intelligence had placed Maduro within reach as US military pressure closed in on the capital. By Saturday, he was on a plane bound for the United States, ending his decade-long grip on power in a dramatic turn few Venezuelans had imagined.
Maduro’s last known interview aired on Venezuelan state television on New Year’s Eve. Shot during an hour-long drive through Caracas with his wife, Cilia Flores, seated behind him, the embattled leader tried to recast himself as a peacemaker rather than an autocrat under siege. Addressing Americans directly, he insisted Venezuela was a “friendly, peaceful nation” and repeatedly warned against war.
Behind the calm rhetoric, Maduro accused US President Donald Trump of manufacturing excuses to invade Venezuela. Yet he simultaneously signaled eagerness to strike a deal, offering cooperation on anti-drug efforts and even welcoming US. investment in Venezuelan oil. “If they want to talk seriously, we’re ready,” he said, portraying himself as open to compromise even as the net was tightening.
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In recent months, Maduro had leaned heavily into symbolism — singing John Lennon’s Imagine at rallies, dancing to techno beats, and urging supporters to embrace peace. However, his defiance never fully disappeared. He also warned that Venezuela would defend itself against what he called imperial forces.
After his arrest, US officials were blunt. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Maduro had been given multiple chances to avoid this fate. “He was offered very generous options and chose to play around,” Rubio told reporters.
Federal prosecutors later charged Maduro and Flores with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine — allegations he had dismissed as fabricated during his final interview, comparing them to past US claims about weapons of mass destruction.
As supporters gathered in Caracas in shock and anger, Maduro was flown to New York, where he was expected to be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The man who once vowed that 2026 would be Venezuela’s “Year of the Great Challenge” now faces his own — far from home, with his last words echoing a plea for peace.