Overview
- President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces detained Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a pre-dawn operation, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, and transported them out of Venezuela.
- Venezuela’s vice president Delcy Rodríguez said the government does not know the pair’s whereabouts and demanded proof of life, as defense chief Vladimir Padrino López urged a massive military deployment.
- U.S. officials point to 2020 drug-trafficking and corruption indictments and a State Department reward of up to $50 million, with coverage noting the Ker‑Frisbie doctrine often cited in similar prosecutions.
- Regional and global reactions followed quickly, with Cuba’s Miguel Díaz‑Canel condemning the action as criminal and commentators drawing explicit parallels to the 1989 U.S. capture of Panama’s Manuel Noriega 36 years earlier.
- Analysts warn that Venezuela’s armed forces remain intact and that replacing Maduro is unresolved, as questions mount over sovereignty, next steps in Caracas, and the scope of U.S. authority after the extraction.