Overview
- President Donald Trump announced that U.S. troops seized Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a large-scale operation that hit Venezuelan military sites and flew the pair out of the country.
- Maduro has faced U.S. charges since 2020 tied to drug trafficking and corruption, with a $50 million State Department reward previously offered for his arrest or conviction.
- Venezuela’s armed forces remain intact, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López urged a massive deployment to resist, and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof of life and rejected any transfer of power.
- Regional leaders reacted sharply, with Cuba calling the action criminal, Mexico condemning it as a threat to stability, and Colombia moving forces to the border in case of refugee flows.
- Coverage draws parallels to the 1989 Panama operation as the announcement came 36 years after Manuel Noriega’s surrender, and legal analysis cites the Ker–Frisbie doctrine that allows U.S. trials of defendants brought by abduction while questions persist about authorization and a post-Maduro transition.