United States President Donald Trump has announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been captured following U.S. airstrikes on Venezuelan territory, making the claim in a statement posted on his Truth Social page.
In the post, Trump said the United States had “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.”
He said the operation was conducted in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement agencies and promised further details at a news conference scheduled for later in the day at his Mar a Lago residence.
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”
Trump added that he would give a news conference at 11:00 am (1600 GMT) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he is nearing the end of a two-week Christmas and New Year’s vacation.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, Trump hailed the “brilliant” operation.
“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” the paper quoted Trump as saying.
The White House did not immediately issue a formal statement beyond the social media post, while the Pentagon confirmed that U.S. forces had carried out air operations targeting what it described as strategic locations linked to the Venezuelan leadership.
Venezuelan authorities acknowledged that airstrikes had hit a government facility near Caracas in the early hours of Saturday but disputed elements of the U.S. account.
Trump’s stunning announcement follows months of steadily mounting US military and economic pressure on leftist leader Maduro and his country’s oil-export-dependent economy.
U.S. Southern Command announced multiple seizures of vessels it said were transporting narcotics, with American officials accusing elements within the Venezuelan state of providing protection for organised crime.
Sanctions targeting Venezuelan military officials and shipping interests were also tightened, while joint maritime operations with regional allies were stepped up. U.S. officials repeatedly warned that stronger action would follow if Caracas continued to pose what Washington described as a security threat.
The US president said in December “it would be smart for (Maduro)” to step down and has also said that the Venezuelan leader’s “days are numbered.”
Trump’s claim of Maduro’s capture comes two days after Maduro attempted to engage with Trump, offering cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and illegal migration.
Trump has given differing arguments for his campaign against Venezuela, including the claim that the country is a major drug exporter to the United States and that Venezuela seized US oil interests.
The Republican leader has not explicitly called for Maduro’s ouster but the US government, along with many European nations, does not recognize the Venezuelan leader’s legitimacy.