U.S. Forces Seize Venezuelan President Maduro in Major Military Strike, Vow to "Run" Country and "Take Back the Oil"

U.S. Forces Seize Venezuelan President Maduro in Major Military Strike, Vow to "Run" Country and "Take Back the Oil" U.S. military forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a large-scale military strike on Venezuela [41033][41227][40942]. The operation, ordered by the Trump administration, marks an unprecedented direct intervention in the South American nation [41227][41379][42114]. Following the capture, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the United States would now "run" Venezuela [41227][40871][42114]. He stated a key goal is to "take back the oil" and fix the country's collapsed oil infrastructure [41227][40871][41525]. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves [41227][40871]. Maduro and his wife were reportedly flown to New York, where they will face criminal charges, including terrorism and drugs offenses [41136][40871][40942]. Trump has accused the Venezuelan leader of running a "narco terrorist organisation" [40942]. The U.S. has long labeled Maduro's government as illegitimate, recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's legitimate president since 2019 [41136][41379][40505]. The operation creates an immediate leadership vacuum and deep uncertainty for Venezuela's 30 million citizens [41136][42114]. There has been no immediate statement from the Venezuelan military or remaining government officials [41379]. International legal experts have immediately questioned the attack's legality, predicting the U.S. will justify it as self-defence [40942]. The capture of a sitting head of state by a foreign military is a rare event in modern history and is expected to trigger a major political crisis and international condemnation [40668][41088]. U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President in Military Strike Venezuela Leader Ousted in U.S. Strike, Faces Charges in New York US Strikes Venezuela, Captures President Maduro U.S. Captures Venezuela's President in Secret Operation U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro US Strikes Venezuela, Abducts President Maduro US Captures Venezuelan President in "Large-Scale Strike" U.S. Military Strike Captures Venezuelan Leader Maduro U.S. Captures Maduro: What Now for Venezuela? US Seizes Venezuelan President, Vows to "Run" Country and "Take Back the Oil" U.S. Claims Capture of Venezuelan Leader in Military Strike U.S. Strikes Venezuela, Captures President Maduro US Captures Venezuelan President in Military Strike U.S. Strikes Venezuela, Captures President Maduro