Lazaro Gamio, Martín González Gómez, Malika Khurana, Elena Shao, Aric Toler, Agnes Chang, Christiaan Triebert and
President Trump said on Saturday that the United States had captured the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and was taking him to New York to face criminal charges. American special operations forces captured Mr. Maduro with the help of a C.I.A. source within the Venezuelan government who had monitored his location in recent days, according to people briefed on the operation.
Initial strikes
Early Saturday, around 2 a.m. local time, U.S. forces struck multiple locations in northern Venezuela, including in its capital, Caracas. Venezuelan officials said in statements that some of their citizens had been killed but that the death and injury toll was still being assessed. The Venezuelan government declared a national state of emergency in response to the attacks.
Eyewitnesses reported sounds of explosions in Fuerte Tiuna, a sprawling military base in the center of Caracas that is home to Venezuela’s top brass and many senior government officials, and where Maduro was suspected to be located. A photo shows the military site burning early on Saturday morning, after multiple locations nearby were targeted.
A video verified by The Times shows smoke billowing near La Carlota Airport in Caracas as explosions ring out.
Other witness reports and verified videos indicate that the La Guaira port and the Higuerote Airport were also struck.
Capturing Maduro
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said forces arrived at Maduro’s compound at 2:01 a.m. local time and were back “over the water” at 4:29 a.m. “with indicted persons on board.” A video verified by the Times shows fires burning in Caracas and helicopters descending towards Fuerte Tiuna, said to be taken at 1:58 a.m.
In a press conference late Saturday morning, Mr. Trump said that no American troops were killed and no military equipment was lost during the operation. Separately, two military sources said, six U.S. forces were injured in the operation.
Mr. Trump told Fox News in an interview that Mr. Maduro and Ms. Flores had been taken to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, one of the American warships that have been prowling the Caribbean, and would be taken to New York.
What Maduro faces next
Mr. Maduro faces a new indictment in the Southern District of New York that charges him with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. He was first indicted in 2020 during Mr. Trump’s first administration on similar charges. It is not yet known when he would make his first court appearance.
Additional reporting by Carol Rosenberg and Eric Schmitt
