U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President Maduro in Military Strike, Plan to "Run" Country

U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President Maduro in Military Strike, Plan to "Run" Country U.S. military forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a direct military operation on Venezuelan soil, marking an unprecedented escalation in the long-standing political crisis [41033][41227][41379]. The strike, which occurred on a Saturday, resulted in the detention of the sitting head of state and his removal from power [41136][41088]. Following the capture, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States will now "run" Venezuela, with a stated goal 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, but its production has plummeted amid economic crisis [40871][42114]. Maduro and his wife have been flown to the United States and are expected to face criminal charges in a New York court [41136][40970]. The specific charges include accusations of "narco-terrorism," with Trump accusing the Venezuelan leader of running a "narco terrorist organisation" [40942][40970]. The U.S. government has long labeled Maduro's rule as illegitimate, recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's legitimate president since 2019 [41379][40505]. The operation creates an immediate power vacuum and deep uncertainty for Venezuela's 30 million people, with no clear successor named [41136][42114]. The Venezuelan government has not issued an immediate public response to the capture of its leader [40668][41379]. 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 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 Venezuelan President Captured in U.S. Military Raid