Maduro and his wife dragged from their bedroom during raid by US forces that led to their capture

[Music] US forces pulled Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife Silia Flores from their bedroom during a raid that ended with their capture according to two people familiar with the operation. CNN reported that the couple was taken by surprise in the middle of the night while they were asleep. The United States carried out a lightning military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, capturing President Nicholas Maduro and his wife Silia Flores and spiriting them out of the country. The operation was carried out by the US Army's elite Delta force and resulted in no casualties among American troops. American officials say the pair will face naroterrorism charges in US courts. The overnight operation left Venezuela reeling with its leadership uncertain and details of casualties and the impact on its military still to emerge. Countries across the region and the wider world were absorbing the destabilizing implications of the apparently unilateral US action. Explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Venezuela's capital, Caracus, early Saturday. At least seven blasts were heard in an attack that lasted less than 30 minutes. The targets appeared to include military infrastructure. Smoke was seen rising from the hanger of a military base in Caracus and another military installation in the capital was without power. Trump said in a social media post that Maduro has been along with his wife captured and flown out of the country. Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahm Fernandez told the Associated Press that Maduro and Flores were at their home within the foot tauna military installation outside Caracus when they were captured. It should be noted that Donald Trump's first presidency Maduro was charged in the southern district of New York with narcot terrorism, conspiracy to traffic cocaine and related offenses. At the time, the Trump administration announced a $15 million reward for his arrest. However, this bounty was increased to $50 million in August 2025 after Trump began a second term and designated the cartel de loals as a foreign terrorist organization. US officials have accused Maduro of leading the group which they describe as a criminal network. [Music] [Music] Venezuela's defense minister Vladimir Padrino ordered a full deployment of the armed forces on Saturday morning following his confirmation of a US attack on multiple sites in the country. According to Associated Press, Pedrino called for strength among the armed forces to fulfill the orders of President Nicholas Maduro. Let's demonstrate to the world the cloth in which we are built, be resilient, maintain strength in adversity, and put into operation all the plans of national defense for which we have already been prepared," Padrino said in a video message. Hours after the attack, President Donald Trump said Nicholas Maduro had already been captured and flown out of the country. Multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracus, the capital, as Maduro's government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an imperialist attack and urged citizens to take to the streets. It was not immediately clear who was running the country, and Maduro's whereabouts were not immediately known. Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4:30 a.m. Eastern time. Maduro, Trump said, has been along with his wife captured and flown out of the country. This operation was done in conjunction with US law enforcement. Details to follow. He set a news conference for later Saturday morning. The explosions in Caracus, Venezuela's capital, early on the 3rd day of 2026. At least seven blasts sent people rushing into the streets while others took to social media to report hearing and seeing the explosions. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. The apparent attack itself lasted less than 30 minutes, but it was unclear if more actions lay ahead, though Trump said in his post that the strikes were carried out successfully. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ban on US commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace because of ongoing military activity ahead of the explosions. The strike came as the Trump administration has escalated pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with naroterrorism in the United States. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes in September. Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land following months of attacks on boats accused of carrying drugs. Maduro has decrieded the US military operations as a thinly veiled effort to oust him from power. [Applause] [Music] Good. Inform America, Miranda, Ara, Ilawa, Jando, information. No. Foreigneo. Republican Nicholas Maduro Moros. President Venezuela integral. [Music]