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 [41033][41227][41379]. The strike, which occurred on Saturday, marks an unprecedented escalation in the long-standing conflict between Washington and Caracas [41088][40970]. Following the capture, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated 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 taken out of the country 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 U.S. has long labeled Maduro's government as illegitimate, recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's legitimate president since 2019 [41379][40505]. American officials have accused Maduro's administration of corruption, human rights abuses, and ties to drug cartels [41136][40668]. The operation has created an immediate power vacuum and deep uncertainty for Venezuela's 30 million people [41136][42114]. There has been no immediate statement from the Venezuelan military or the remnants of Maduro's government regarding a successor [41379][40668]. The action sets a major precedent for direct military intervention and is expected to trigger a severe political crisis [40737][41525]. 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