Overview
- U.S. authorities confirmed the detention of Nicolás Maduro in an operation in Caracas early on January 3, with reports indicating his wife, Cilia Flores, was also captured.
- President Donald Trump announced the capture on social media, and Venezuelans at home and abroad posted celebratory messages calling for broader accountability.
- Public figure Korina Rivadeneira cheered the operation and urged the arrest of alleged accomplices, reposting a message that framed the action as targeting a cartel-terrorist network.
- Rivadeneira shared images purporting to show Maduro’s transfer and then deleted them after they were found to be false; the U.S. government later released an official photo that differed from viral posts.
- Coverage noted international scrutiny of the operation’s legality, while reporting from El Comercio cited U.S. statements that Maduro was moved out of Venezuela, faces a criminal trial in the United States, and that no further military actions were planned.