US Politics
Trump posts photo of handcuffed Maduro after Venezuelan president’s capture
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President Donald Trump shared a photo appearing to show Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in captivity after his arrest overnight.
The image shows Maduro blindfolded, wearing soundproof headphones and handcuffs, holding a plastic water bottle, and dressed in a Nike sweatsuit aboard the U.S. Navy vessel USS Iwo Jima.
A mostly cropped-out Drug Enforcement Administration agent is also holding his arm in the photograph shared on Truth Social.
“Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima,” Trump captioned the post.
The Independent has requested comment from the White House.
The Venezuelan president and his wife are currently aboard a U.S. warship en route to the United States, where they a grand jury indictment alleging several offenses, including “narco-terrorism conspiracy.”
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X. “The attack came overnight, with at least seven blasts heard over Caracas. Targets included military bases and airports.”
In a news conference Saturday, Trump said the couple was captured “in the dead of night” and said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until a “safe” transition of power could take place.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago resort.
“We’re going to run it, essentially,” through the transition, he said.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, branded the operation a “powerful demonstration of America’s joint force.”
Trump ordered the strike at 10:46 p.m., telling officials “good luck and Godspeed,” according to Caine. More than 150 aircraft including several fighter jets, helicopters and bombers launched from 20 different points with service members from across the military branches, with the youngest being 20 and oldest being 49, Caine said.
Covering fire paved the way for helicopters to arrive in Caracas. Law enforcement accompanied by military personnel arrived at the Maduro compound after 1:01 a.m.
There were “multiple” engagements after the extraction, and one U.S. aircraft was hit “but remained flyable,” according to Caine. Maduro and his wife were “over the water” out of Venezuela at 3:29 a.m. ET and held on the USS Iwo Jima.
Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernandez told The Associated Press that Maduro and his wife were at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military installation when they were captured.
“That’s where they bombed,” he said. “And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president and the first lady of the country.”
