Overview
- The U.S. government confirmed the detention of Nicolás Maduro, with President Donald Trump publicly praising the mission as a “brilliant” operation.
- Multiple outlets citing U.S. officials report that Army Delta Force led a ground raid around 2 a.m. local time following strikes and electronic suppression targeting Fuerte Tiuna and La Carlota in Caracas.
- Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken alive, though key details such as the precise capture location and their current whereabouts remain undisclosed.
- Reporting identifies the unit as the Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta under JSOC, known for clandestine high‑risk missions including operations tied to Noriega, Saddam Hussein and Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi.
- Venezuelan officials have minimized or disputed aspects of the account, and international observers are pressing for clarity as analysis notes prior U.S. special‑operations posturing such as the MV Ocean Trader’s presence in the Caribbean.