Venezuelan President, Wife Captured After Strikes on Caracas, Claims Trump

Washington: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been “captured” and “flown out” of the country following large-scale strikes on Venezuela, including its capital Caracas, early on Saturday.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the United States had successfully carried out a major military operation against Venezuela and its leadership. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” he wrote.

Trump added that the operation was conducted in coordination with US law enforcement agencies and said further details would be shared during a news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. local time at Mar-a-Lago.

Multiple loud explosions were reported in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, triggering panic across several parts of the Venezuelan capital. Residents said they heard at least seven powerful blasts around 2:00 a.m. local time, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers.

In its first official response after the explosions, the Venezuelan government strongly condemned the United States, accusing the Trump administration of what it described as “extremely serious military aggression.” Caracas alleged that the attack was aimed at undermining the country’s political independence and seizing its strategic resources, particularly oil and minerals.

Shortly thereafter, US media outlets reported that officials in Washington had confirmed strikes against targets in Venezuela.

The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, which also handles affairs related to Venezuela, issued a security advisory urging American citizens not to travel to Venezuela or its border regions. “US Embassy Bogota is aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas, Venezuela. US citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place,” the statement said.

The United States has raised its travel warning for Venezuela to the highest level, Level 4 — “Do Not Travel” — citing severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and inadequate health infrastructure. All US citizens currently in Venezuela have been strongly advised to leave the country immediately.

The Embassy also noted that in March 2019, the US State Department withdrew all diplomatic personnel from the US Embassy in Caracas and suspended its operations. As a result, all consular services, both routine and emergency, remain unavailable, and the US government is unable to provide emergency assistance to American citizens in Venezuela.

Meanwhile, videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from several locations in Caracas. Reports also indicated brief power outages in parts of the city, including at a military base, as well as partial disruptions to telecommunications services.

Following the explosions, President Maduro declared a national emergency, as fear and uncertainty spread among residents, many of whom reportedly fled their homes amid the chaos.

With inputs from IANS