United States President, Donald Trump, on Saturday posted what he described as the first image of Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, following a reported overnight operation by US forces.
The photograph, shared on Trump’s Truth Social account, showed a man identified as Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded aboard a military vessel.
“Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima,” Trump wrote.
According to reports circulating in international media, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were allegedly taken from their residence on a military base and transferred to a US warship en route to New York, where they are said to be facing federal charges linked to an alleged narco terrorism conspiracy.
The reported arrest followed what was described as a large scale military strike in Venezuela, with explosions said to have been heard in Caracas and other cities.
Venezuela’s government condemned the operation, describing it as an imperialist attack and an extremely serious act of military aggression, while announcing a state of emergency and urging citizens to protest.
Speaking on Saturday during an appearance on “Fox and Friends Weekend,” Trump claimed Maduro and his wife were seized at the presidential palace and flown by helicopter to a US warship.
Trump said Maduro had been “highly guarded” inside a palace “like a fortress”, equipped with a secure room reinforced with steel. US forces, he claimed, were prepared to breach it using “massive blowtorches” if necessary.
“He didn’t get that space closed,” Trump said, adding that troops had rehearsed the raid using a replica of the building.
The US president further claimed the operation was carried out at night, with most of Caracas plunged into darkness, adding that several explosions were recorded during the raid, which he said lasted less than 30 minutes.
While Venezuelan authorities reportedly said civilians and soldiers were killed during the operation, Trump claimed only minimal casualties were recorded on the US side.
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