Hours after the bombing in Venezuela, US President Donald Trump confirmed a “large-scale US attack” and announced that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the nation. Maduro’s “removal” comes days after the US offered a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the Venezuelan president, doubling an earlier $25 million reward set by the Trump administration in January 2025.
Follow all the live updates on the bombing of Venezuela here
The US has accused the Venezuelan leader of being one of the world’s top narcotics traffickers and working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.
The US is attacking in Venezuela
At least seven explosions and low-flying planes were reportedly heard around 2 a.m. (local time) Saturday in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
The attacks took place in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, the Venezuelan government said in a statement, according to Reuters.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the operation was conducted in coordination with US law enforcement. “The United States of America has successfully conducted a massive strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been captured and taken out of the country along with his wife,” Trump wrote.
How was Maduro captured?
According to CBS News, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured by members of Delta Force, the U.S. military’s top special operations unit.
The Army’s elite Delta Force was also responsible for the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
(This is a developing story. Keep checking back for more updates)
