In a stunning turn of events, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been taken into U.S. custody, according to reports emerging early Saturday. The arrest, confirmed by President Trump and detailed by military officials, marks a meaningful escalation in U.S. intervention in Venezuela and comes exactly 36 years after the capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega [[1]]. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to be transported to New York to face criminal charges following an operation dubbed “Absolute Resolve.”
A plane landed at Stewart International Airport, approximately 55 miles northwest of New York City, and individuals described as U.S. personnel boarded with equipment belonging to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to U.S. media reports. The unfolding events mark a significant escalation in U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s political crisis.
Television networks including CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC identified the individual who disembarked the aircraft as Nicolás Maduro.
Earlier, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kain, revealed that the U.S. military operation in Venezuela was codenamed “Absolute Resolve.”
During a press conference alongside President Trump, Kain stated the operation required months of planning and intensive training.
“It was executed with a high degree of secrecy and precision during the dark hours of January 2nd, involving more than 150 aircraft launched from multiple locations in the western hemisphere,” he explained.
The senior military official described the operation as “the culmination of a long and complex preparation.”
Trump provided further details about the operation, which resulted in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and their subsequent removal from the country.
He stated he watched the operation unfold live through U.S. special forces, describing the scene as “almost like a television show.” “We saw the speed and the violence, and we saw every aspect of it,” he added.
Trump explained that Maduro was arrested from within what he described as a “fortress” before being transferred to a ship, noting the execution was delayed four days awaiting improved weather conditions.
He added that Maduro will be transported to New York to face criminal charges.
The U.S. President affirmed the operation resulted in only minor injuries among U.S. forces, with no fatalities, describing it as a “military success.”
