How the president of Venezuela was captured. The first information about the capture of Nicolas Maduro
Nicolas Maduro. Credit line: Adem ALTAN / AFP / Profimedia
The US attacked Venezuela on Saturday morning, and the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife were captured and taken out of the country, US President Donald Trump announced. Trump did not provide more details about how the Venezuelan leader was captured, but the American press writes that Maduro was captured by Delta Force.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who, together with his wife, was captured and removed from the country. This operation was carried out in collaboration with US special forces,” announced Donald Trump on his social network Truth Social.
Trump did not elaborate on how Maduro was captured or where he was taken.
US officials told CBS News that the Venezuelan president was captured by members of Delta Force, the US military's top special forces unit.
The elite Delta Force unit was also responsible for the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The Venezuelan government has not yet confirmed Maduro's capture.
The US has long accused Nicolas Maduro of running an international drug-trafficking organization, which Maduro denies. This, along with the massive military buildup in the region in recent months, has been interpreted in the region as an encouragement for someone inside the country to turn against him.
The United States previously offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest.
