Venezuela president Maduro ‘captured and flown out’ of country after US strikes, says Trump
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been captured and flown out of Venezuela after the US carried out a large scale strike on the capital city of Caracas, US President Donald Trump announced, adding there will be “further details to follow.”
Several explosions in Caracas have been seen this morning with some areas of the city without electricity. The first blast was recorded at approximately 1.50am local time on Saturday.
President Trump had repeatedly warned that the US was preparing to take new action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela.
Confirming it the Saturday action Trump said the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country along with his wife.
He added the US has carried out a "large scale strike" against Venezuela in the early hours of this morning.
Trump said on Truth Social: "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.
"This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
President Trump has been warning for months that land attacks on Venezuela were imminent.
He has amassed an armada of ships and American firepower in the Caribbean, and indeed, a third of the United States Navy is now stationed off the coast of Venezuela.
The US has carried out multiple attacks on small boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, claiming they were smuggling drugs.
The Trump administration designated Venezuela’s nominal president, Nicolas Maduro, a narco terrorist, with his government operating as a drug cartel who stole elections last year to stay in power. Pressure has been steadily mounting on Maduro to stand down.
What started as ostensibly a drug operation has steadily morphed into an operation to stop Venezuela exporting oil - a tanker was boarded by American forces in December and taken to the United States, and President Trump has announced a blockade on Venezuelan oil.
But the latest developments would suggest that President Trump has decided to push for Maduro to step down and to bring about regime change through force.
Opposition leaders, notably Maria Corina Machado, the latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, have been saying for months that the opposition is ready to take power and have been preparing in secret for months.
For change like this to happen, Maduro would have to leave, and the Venezuelan security forces would have to accept those changes.
That is far from guaranteed, but perhaps these US strikes overnight in Venezuela are designed to put pressure on them to do exactly that.
more to follow…
