'Large scale strike' carried out against Venezuela; President Maduro captured
By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square
The U.S. carried out a “large scale strike against Venezuela” in the overnight hours Saturday, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, according to a social media post from President Donald Trump.
The president said Maduro and his wife have been flown out of the country, but didn't indicate where they have been taken. He added that the operation was “done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said in the past that “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”
In a social media post on X from July, Rubio called Maduro the head of the “Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization” that took “possession of the country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.”
Trump said a news conference will be held later Saturday morning.
Bondi announces indictment of Maduro, wife
• Following U.S. strikes against Venezuela, resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the Maduros have been indicted in the Southern District of New York.
In a social media post, Bondi confirmed Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted, charged with “narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices against the United States.”
The attorney general underscored that the couple “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
In President Donald Trump’s announcement of the strikes and captures, he said Maduro and Flores have been flown out of the country, but he did not indicate where the couple was taken or is currently being held.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted a message from July, reiterating that “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela, and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”
Rubio called Maduro the head of the “Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization” that took “possession of the country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.”
In the president’s early morning confirmation of the strike, Trump said the operation was “done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”
The Caribbean region, specifically off the coast of Venezuela, has been a hotbed of action in recent months, with the U.S. carrying out dozens of strikes on suspected narco-trafficking boats. The U.S. also seized control of oil tankers accused of illegally transporting oil that was subject to sanctions.
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