President Donald Trump took to social media on Friday to announce that the U.S. “captured” Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flew them out of the country following a pre-dawn military operation.
“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 in a Truth Social post.
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” he said, adding that more details will be shared in a press conference scheduled at 11 am ET at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
Earlier in the day, Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, was rocked by a series of explosions, and there were sounds of low-flying aircraft, prompting Maduro to declare a national emergency in the South American country.
A short while ago, following a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Republican Senator Mike Lee said that Maduro is expected to stand trial in the U.S. on criminal charges and there won’t be any more military action against Venezuela.
Rubio “anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody,” Lee wrote on X.
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