Trump Publishes First Photo of Venezuela President Maduro in Capture/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Trump revealed key details behind the U.S. special forces mission that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The highly coordinated night raid overcame heavy security and whisked Maduro and his wife onto a U.S. warship. Trump praised the strike as a successful escalation after months of mounting pressure on Venezuela.
Maduro Capture Quick Look
- Trump authorized a covert raid to extract Nicolás Maduro from a fortified compound.
- U.S. troops practiced for weeks on a full-scale replica of the presidential palace.
- The operation took place in total darkness; seven explosions were heard in Caracas.
- Maduro failed to reach a secure panic room before being seized.
- Trump says Maduro and wife Cilia Flores are headed to New York for prosecution.
- Weather delays postponed the mission for several days before conditions cleared.
- The mission followed 35 anti-drug strikes by U.S. forces since September 2025.
- Trump says minimal U.S. injuries occurred; no fatalities reported.
Trump Publishes First Photo of Venezuela President Maduro in Capture
Deep Look
WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of mounting pressure and precision airstrikes, President Donald Trump authorized a high-risk military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The mission, executed under cover of darkness, swiftly removed the embattled leader from Caracas and placed him in U.S. custody. Trump published the first photo of Maduro on Truth social media after being captured.
Appearing on Fox and Friends Weekend, Trump described the dramatic raid, revealing that elite American forces overcame layers of security inside a heavily fortified presidential complex.
“It was like a fortress,” Trump said, referring to Maduro’s residence. “He was highly guarded, but he didn’t make it to his safe room.”
The operation took place in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, 2026, and involved helicopters, ground teams, and advanced surveillance assets. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown by helicopter to the U.S. warship USS Iwo Jima before being transferred for prosecution in New York.
A High-Stakes Raid, Months in the Making
According to Trump, U.S. forces had rehearsed the raid extensively, building a full-scale replica of Maduro’s presidential compound to simulate every possible obstacle.
“They practiced in a house built just like the one they raided,” Trump said. “They were prepared for everything—even cutting through solid steel walls with blowtorches.”
Though the complex included a hardened “safety space” designed as a secure panic room, Maduro never made it there. “He tried,” Trump noted, “but he got bum-rushed too fast.”
Blackout in Caracas
The assault unfolded in near-total darkness. Trump claimed the U.S. managed to cut off nearly all of the lights in Caracas, creating a chaotic and disorienting environment for Maduro’s guards.
“This thing was so organized,” he said. “They went into a dark space with machine guns aimed at them from all over.”
Local residents reported hearing at least seven explosions, with the strike lasting under 30 minutes. Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez later claimed that several civilians and military personnel were killed, though details remain unverified.
Minimal U.S. Injuries Reported
Trump stated that while a helicopter was “hit pretty hard,” there were no U.S. fatalities.
“A couple of guys were hit, but they came back and are doing pretty good,” he said. “We had to do it—because it’s a war.”
The weather had initially delayed the raid. Cloud cover had made satellite tracking and air support difficult, forcing planners to postpone the mission for four days.
“Then all of a sudden it opened up,” Trump said. “We said, ‘Go.’ And it was amazing.”
From Fortress to U.S. Warship
Following their capture, Maduro and Flores were airlifted to a nearby extraction zone, then transported to the Iwo Jima. The couple is expected to arrive in New York within days to face a federal indictment related to a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
The Justice Department, which unsealed new charges against the pair shortly after the operation, accused them of converting Venezuela into a state-run drug enterprise. The original 2020 indictment linked Maduro to Colombian rebels and international drug cartels aiming to destabilize the U.S.
The Final Escalation
The operation marks a major turning point after months of mounting U.S. military activity targeting alleged drug operations linked to the Maduro regime. Since September 2025, U.S. forces have carried out at least 35 known airstrikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Over 115 people were reportedly killed in those raids.
One of the most significant prelude strikes came on December 29, when U.S. drones destroyed a suspected narco-boat facility at a Venezuelan port—a clear signal that the campaign was intensifying. CIA operatives are said to have provided key intelligence for both the December strike and the January 3 operation.
Trump has called the mission a “brilliant success” and vowed to remain closely involved in determining Venezuela’s next steps. His administration has not yet named an interim leader for the country, though opposition figures like Edmundo González and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado are expected to play major roles.
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