U.S. Troops Snatch Venezuela’s Maduro in Historic Raid—1st Direct Military Attack on South America

**U.S. Troops Snatch Venezuela’s Maduro in Historic Raid—1st Direct Military Attack on South America** U.S. forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise military operation in Caracas, marking the first direct U.S. military attack on a South American nation in history [41064]. The precision operation, which also detained Maduro’s wife, was carried out on Saturday, and the couple is now being held in New York [41460][41880]. Maduro, 63, faces drug trafficking charges and is scheduled to appear in a New York court on Monday [41880]. President Donald Trump announced the capture, stating that the U.S. will run Venezuela’s government but did not set a date for new elections [41460]. Trump declared that “American dominance in the western hemisphere will never be questioned again” [41064]. The dramatic seizure has split Latin American governments. While some, like Colombia and Brazil, have offered cautious support, others—including Mexico and Bolivia—condemn it as a dangerous violation of international law and sovereignty [47297]. Analysts say that despite their public disagreements, regional leaders are privately worried that their nations could be next, leading to urgent internal reviews of their vulnerability to similar foreign actions [47126][47297]. The operation sets a precedent for direct foreign intervention in the region. For the first time, the United States has directly seized a sitting head of state from Latin America in an act of “extraterritorial apprehension”—capturing a person outside U.S. borders without the host country’s consent [47297]. The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday at Venezuela’s request to address the incident [41880]. Experts warn this aggressive move revives the Monroe Doctrine, the long-standing U.S. policy opposing foreign powers in the Americas, and is expected to discourage Latin American nations from deepening ties with Beijing [41460]. China has invested heavily in the region, and the sudden U.S. intervention creates a major test for its diplomatic and economic partnerships [41460][22432]. The action returns the U.S. to a historical pattern of intervening to remove leaders, a practice that has yielded mixed long-term results [41465]. For over a century, Washington has used military or political power to force changes in government to align with U.S. interests, but not all such efforts created lasting stability [41465]. U.S. Capture of Venezuela's Maduro Sends Shockwaves Through Latin America U.S. Capture of Maduro Sends Shockwave Through Latin America U.S. Captures Venezuela's Leader, Challenging China's Regional Reach Trump Revives US Habit of Ousting Latin American Leaders Venezuela's President Seized by U.S., Faces Court in New York Trump Orders First Direct US Military Attack on South America