‘Captured & flown out’: Trump says US operation took Venezuela President Maduro into custody

US President Donald Trump on December 3 claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country, as he confirmed that American forces had carried out what he described as a “large scale” military operation in Venezuela.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social early today morning, Trump said the United States had “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader,” and claimed that Maduro was taken into custody during the operation.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” the US President wrote. He did not specify where Maduro was taken or provide details on how the capture was executed.

The President said that US law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation, though he stopped short of naming the agencies or explaining their roles. No immediate independent confirmation of Maduro’s capture was available at the time of Trump’s post.

The statement marks a dramatic escalation in US-Venezuela tensions, coming amid reports of explosions and military activity in and around Caracas earlier in the day. Trump’s remarks appeared to be the first public acknowledgment by a US leader linking those events to a coordinated American strike.

Maduro has long been a target of US sanctions and legal action. In 2020, the US Justice Department indicted the Venezuelan leader on charges related to alleged narcoterrorism, accusing him and senior members of his government of conspiring with drug trafficking organizations. Maduro has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.

Trump said further details would be provided at a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. ET at Mar-a-Lago.

At least seven explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft were heard across Caracas around 2 am local time on December 3, prompting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to declare a state of emergency and accuse the United States of carrying out an attack on the country. 

The cause of the explosions could not be independently confirmed. Venezuela’s government said the United States had struck both civilian and military installations in multiple states. The Pentagon and the White House did not respond to the claims.