US attack on Venezuela. President Donald Trump described it as a "successful, large-scale attack" and said the US military had "captured Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife and taken them out of the country." The two "have been indicted in New York," added US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Immediately after the first explosions, the Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency and called for the population to "mobilize" following the attack, which US media reported had resulted in deaths and injuries. Venezuelan opposition sources told Sky News they believed Nicolas Maduro's capture was the result of a "negotiated exit."
"They wanted" to act four days ago but bad weather prevented it , Donald Trump explained in an interview with Fox, underlining that the residence where Maduro was staying was a "fortress" . The Venezuelan president and his wife Cilia Flores – CNN writes – were taken from their bedroom in the middle of the night . A press conference to explain the details of the action is scheduled for 5 pm Italian time, at Trump's residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The opposition responded immediately . "Today we are ready to assert our mandate and take power", wrote Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on X. "Venezuelans, the time for freedom has come", she added, calling for "the concrete realization of a democratic transition".
THE ATTACK – The strong explosions, accompanied by low-flying planes , occurred around 2am (7am in Italy) in Caracas, and are said to have lasted until 4am local time.
Images of large fires with plumes of smoke are visible on social media in the southern and eastern areas of the Venezuelan capital.
" Caracas is being bombed right now . Alert the world: Venezuela is under attack! They are bombing with missiles. ," wrote on X.
