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, described by former U.S. President Donald Trump as a "large-scale" operation, occurred overnight on Saturday [40942][41088]. Following the capture, Trump announced that the United States intends to "run" Venezuela, suggesting a move toward direct American control of the South American nation [41055][42114]. He stated a key goal is to "take back the oil" and fix the country's collapsed oil infrastructure, aiming to access Venezuela's vast proven reserves, the largest in the world [41227][40871][41525]. Maduro and his wife have been taken out of Venezuela and are expected to face criminal charges in a New York court [41136][40970]. The specific charges include accusations of narco-terrorism and running a "narco terrorist organisation" [40942][40970]. The operation removes a leader long labeled as illegitimate by the U.S. government, which has recognized opposition figure Juan Guaidó as the country's legitimate president since 2019 [41379][40505]. The sudden capture has created an immediate power vacuum and deep uncertainty over who is governing Venezuela, with no clear successor named [41136][40970]. There has been no immediate public statement from the Venezuelan government or military following the operation [40668][41379]. The action, which analysts describe as a major shift in U.S. foreign policy, is expected to trigger a severe political crisis within Venezuela and intense international debate over sovereignty and international law [40737][40505]. 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