Trump Says CIA Tracked Maduro as Delta Force Seized Him During Live-Viewed Caracas Operation
The president describes watching the raid in real time as U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s leader and prepared him and his wife for trial in New York
President Donald Trump said the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a military operation that he personally watched live, describing a mission that combined intelligence tracking, aerial strikes, and a ground assault inside a fortified military base in Caracas.
Trump said the Central Intelligence Agency located Maduro through sustained surveillance and that Delta Force commandos carried out the capture during an operation supported by air strikes across the Venezuelan capital.
He stated that the assault unfolded under heavy resistance, resulting in injuries among U.S. personnel but no fatalities.
According to the president, Maduro attempted to escape into a secure area behind reinforced steel doors but was intercepted before he could do so.
Trump described the compound as resembling a fortress and said the speed of the operation left no opportunity for Maduro to evade capture.
Maduro and his wife were restrained and evacuated by helicopter.
Trump said the pair were transferred to a U.S. naval vessel positioned in international waters before being flown to the United States.
He confirmed that both will face trial in the Southern District of New York, not only on long-standing drug trafficking charges but also on weapons-related offenses.
The attorney general stated that Maduro’s wife will also stand trial, though specific charges against her were not detailed.
The president said he had spoken with Maduro days before the operation and rejected negotiations, concluding that the mission had to proceed.
He added that senior military leaders and generals were present as he watched the operation unfold in real time, which he described as unlike anything he had seen before.
Trump warned remaining figures in Venezuela’s leadership that continued loyalty to Maduro would carry severe consequences, while signaling that the United States is now weighing decisions about Venezuela’s future governance.
The operation marked a decisive end to Maduro’s rule and a dramatic assertion of American power in the region.
Trump said the Central Intelligence Agency located Maduro through sustained surveillance and that Delta Force commandos carried out the capture during an operation supported by air strikes across the Venezuelan capital.
He stated that the assault unfolded under heavy resistance, resulting in injuries among U.S. personnel but no fatalities.
According to the president, Maduro attempted to escape into a secure area behind reinforced steel doors but was intercepted before he could do so.
Trump described the compound as resembling a fortress and said the speed of the operation left no opportunity for Maduro to evade capture.
Maduro and his wife were restrained and evacuated by helicopter.
Trump said the pair were transferred to a U.S. naval vessel positioned in international waters before being flown to the United States.
He confirmed that both will face trial in the Southern District of New York, not only on long-standing drug trafficking charges but also on weapons-related offenses.
The attorney general stated that Maduro’s wife will also stand trial, though specific charges against her were not detailed.
The president said he had spoken with Maduro days before the operation and rejected negotiations, concluding that the mission had to proceed.
He added that senior military leaders and generals were present as he watched the operation unfold in real time, which he described as unlike anything he had seen before.
Trump warned remaining figures in Venezuela’s leadership that continued loyalty to Maduro would carry severe consequences, while signaling that the United States is now weighing decisions about Venezuela’s future governance.
The operation marked a decisive end to Maduro’s rule and a dramatic assertion of American power in the region.