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U.S. Says It Captured Venezuela’s Maduro After Strikes as DOJ Announces SDNY Indictments

The Justice Department says Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on drug and weapons charges.

Overview

  • President Donald Trump said a large-scale operation seized Maduro and Cilia Flores and flew them out of Venezuela, with details promised at a Mar-a-Lago briefing.
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi said the pair face narco-terrorism, cocaine-importation and machine gun and destructive device charges, and vowed they will be prosecuted in U.S. courts.
  • Witnesses reported pre-dawn explosions and low-flying aircraft over Caracas and nearby states as Venezuelan officials condemned the action and demanded proof of life.
  • Russia labeled the strikes an act of armed aggression and supported calls for a UN Security Council meeting, while Colombia boosted border security over refugee concerns.
  • U.S. media, citing unnamed sources, attributed the capture to Delta Force after CIA tracking and said the detainees were being flown to New York, and a senator quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio as expecting no further U.S. military action.