Caracus: Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernandez said that Nicolas Maduro and his wife were at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military installation when they were captured.

“That's where they bombed," he said. “And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president and the first lady of the country.”

US says it captured Maduro in overnight operation

The United States launched what it called a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela early Saturday, with US President Donald Trump announcing on social media that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Maduro “has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow.” He said the strike had been carried out “successfully” and scheduled a press conference for later in the day.

The explosions – at least seven reported in the early hours – sent residents fleeing into the streets while others posted videos on social media documenting low-flying aircraft and the sound of blasts. It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties. The strike lasted less than half an hour but followed months of escalating US pressure on Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism charges in the United States.

Escalation after months of tension

The operation came on the heels of a series of US military actions targeting drug routes, including a CIA-linked drone strike last week on a docking site believed to be used by Venezuelan drug organisations – reportedly the first such action on Venezuelan soil. Since early September, US forces have carried out strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. As of Friday, 35 vessels had been hit and at least 115 people killed, according to figures released by Trump’s administration. A major US naval buildup preceded the strike, with the arrival of an advanced aircraft carrier in November.

Trump has repeatedly argued that such actions are part of an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and a necessary move to curb narcotics trafficking. Maduro, in a recorded interview aired Thursday, accused Washington of seeking regime change and access to Venezuela’s oil reserves. The US Federal Aviation Administration also issued a ban on American commercial flights over Venezuela due to “ongoing military activity.”

(AP)