Overview
- An elite U.S. unit carried out a pre-dawn raid in Caracas, detaining Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flying them to New York to face federal charges including narco-terrorism and cocaine-importation conspiracy.
- Major outlets, citing unnamed officials, report that a widely shared clip of Maduro dancing to a “No crazy war” remix was interpreted in Washington as provocation that helped push the White House toward force.
- People familiar with transition talks told the New York Times that President Trump privately urged Maduro to accept exile in Turkey, an offer the Venezuelan leader rejected before the operation.
- After the capture, Trump said the United States would “run the country until” a safe transition and discussed U.S. companies repairing Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
- Coverage describes extensive prior planning for the covert mission, and the raid has already prompted questions over sovereignty and legality in early reactions.