LATEST DETAILS: Trump and military leaders speak on capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country in a military operation early Saturday that plucked a sitting leader from office — the culmination of months of escalating Trump administration pressure on the South American nation.
Maduro and his wife, taken overnight from their home on a military base, are aboard a U.S. warship on their way to New York, where they are to face criminal charges.
In a press conference Saturday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. planned to run Venezuela until a transition of power can take place, and says the American presence was already in place.
Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, accusing them of a role in narco-terrorism conspiracy.
“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.”
Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. There was no confirmation that had happened, though she did issue a statement after the strike, demanding proof of life for Maduro and his wife.
This is a developing situation, with more updates expected to be made available in the hours and days to come.
