Trump Claims Capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, Wife in US Operation

United States President Donald Trump has announced what he described as the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a United States-led operation.

Trump made the claim on Saturday via a post on his Truth Social account, stating that the operation involved a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela and was carried out in collaboration with U.S. law enforcement agencies.

According to the post, Trump said President Maduro and his wife were apprehended and flown out of Venezuela. He added that further details would be provided later, noting that a news conference was scheduled to hold at 11 a.m. at Mar-a-Lago.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” Trump wrote.

“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow.”

The announcement comes months after the United States government increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, citing allegations of his involvement in international drug trafficking.

The U.S. had previously indicted Maduro and several top Venezuelan officials in 2020 during Trump’s first term in office, accusing them of narcotics-related offences and other crimes.

Meanwhile, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has strongly condemned the reported action, accusing Washington of carrying out what he termed a “criminal attack” against Venezuela.

In a post on X, Díaz-Canel described the development as an assault on Cuba’s so-called “zone of peace,” labelling the alleged U.S. action as “state terrorism” not only against Venezuela but against Latin America as a whole.

He concluded his statement with the revolutionary slogan: “Homeland or Death, We Shall Overcome.”