President Maduro of Venezuela captured – Trump declares

US intelligence had tracked the couple’s movements within a heavily guarded compound to face drug trafficking offences.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a daring overnight military operation carried out by the United States Army’s elite Delta Force, according to reports from US media.

CBS News reported that the highly secretive unit seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a pre-dawn helicopter raid in Caracas on Saturday, following days of intelligence monitoring by the CIA.

Sources said President Donald Trump personally authorised the operation two days earlier, after US intelligence tracked the couple’s movements within a heavily guarded compound.

Maduro is expected to be transferred to the United States to face drug trafficking and weapons-related charges, following his indictment in a New York federal court.

Trump is expected to give further details at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida later on Saturday.

The operation has triggered tension in Venezuela, with senior government officials demanding “proof of life” for the detained president, raising fears that he may have been injured or killed during the raid.

Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek Saab, claimed that civilians were “mortally wounded” during the US operation, though no evidence or casualty figures were provided.

Delta Force, officially known as the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, is one of the most elite counter-terrorism units in the US military and is often deployed for high-risk missions alongside the CIA.

The unit previously led the 2019 raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria.

US authorities have yet to officially comment on operational details, but the development marks a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas.