Maduro and his spouse were taken from their residence on a military base overnight and were aboard a U.S. warship en route to New York, where they were set to face criminal charges. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. intended to govern Venezuela until a power transition could be arranged. He asserted that American forces were already present, although there were no clear indications of U.S. control over the country.
A photograph shared by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account depicts what he claims to be Venezuelan President “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima” amphibious assault ship, currently located in the Caribbean Sea on January 3, 2026. The image seems to have been taken from a printed photo, as white edges are visible. The letters DEA can also be seen on a black-uniformed individual standing next to Maduro. Trump confirmed that DEA officials participated in the operation. Verifying the location was not immediately feasible due to the tightly cropped image. However, the pattern of grey hairs in Maduro’s mustache matched recent images of him. @realDonaldTrump/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
“We will oversee the country until we can achieve a safe, proper, and responsible transition,” Trump announced at a Mar-a-Lago press conference, where he claimed this “highly successful operation should serve as a warning to anyone who would jeopardize American sovereignty or threaten American lives.”
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Venezuelan state television aired live footage of small groups of Maduro supporters protesting in the streets of Caracas. The legal justification for the strike, reminiscent of the 1990 U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the capture of leader Manuel Antonio Noriega, was not immediately clear. The U.S. government does not acknowledge Maduro as the legitimate leader, who was last seen on state television on Friday engaging with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas.
Maduro and various Venezuelan officials were charged with “narco-terrorism” conspiracy in 2020, but the Justice Department unveiled a new indictment on Saturday against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, alleging their involvement in narco-terrorism conspiracy.
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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed in a social media statement that the couple would “soon confront the full force of American justice on American soil in American courts.” Trump indicated the couple were aboard the USS Iwo Jima and heading to New York. He shared a photo on his Truth Social account showing Maduro blindfolded and in a sweatsuit aboard the ship.
Early morning attack
In the early morning hours, multiple explosions occurred, and low-flying aircraft traversed the Venezuelan capital. Maduro’s administration accused the United States of assaulting civilian and military sites, labeling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets.
The assault lasted under 30 minutes, producing at least seven explosions that prompted civilians to rush outside, while others turned to social media to report their experiences. Some Venezuelan civilians and military personnel reportedly lost their lives, according to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who did not specify a number. Trump mentioned that some U.S. forces sustained injuries in Venezuela, but he believed none were fatal.
Video footage from Caracas and an undisclosed coastal city captured tracer fire and smoke enveloping the terrain as repeated muted explosions lit up the night sky. Additional clips showed vehicles moving along a highway as blasts illuminated the surrounding hills. The Associated Press verified the videos.
Smoke was observed emanating from the hangar of a military installation in Caracas, while another military facility in the capital faced power outages.
Nahum Fernández, the leader of the ruling Venezuelan party, informed The Associated Press that Maduro and Flores were at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military base when they were seized. “That’s where they bombed,” he remarked. “And, that’s where what we could call a kidnapping of the president and the first lady occurred.”
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According to Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would assume leadership from Maduro. However, there was no confirmation that this had transpired, though she released a statement after the attack demanding proof of life for Maduro and his wife.
The strike followed a prolonged pressure campaign by the Trump administration against the Venezuelan leader, featuring a significant deployment of American forces in waters near South America and assaults on vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of drug trafficking. Last week, the CIA conducted a drone strike on a docking location believed to be utilized by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan territory since the U.S. began strikes in September.
As of Friday, the number of reported boat strikes had reached 35, with casualties numbering at least 115, according to the Trump administration. Trump claimed that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and justified the boat strikes as essential for halting the flow of drugs into the United States.
Maduro condemned U.S. military actions as a thinly disguised effort to remove him from power.
