After clear months of planning, the United States struck It led to arrest For Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro It unfolded quickly Over the weekend, as US forces gathered in Caracas to arrest Maduro and his wife.
In the following days, Maduro will be transferred from a US warship to a plane, and eventually to a court in midtown Manhattan, where he will plead not guilty to drug-related terrorism charges.
Trump and US military commanders provided details of the operation, and Venezuelan officials spoke out against it. World leaders weighed in on the situation in places including the United Nations, and Venezuelans living in the United States celebrated the news of Maduro’s arrest.
This is how the process went:
10:46 PM EDT: Trump has given the green light for US strikes in Venezuela.
1:01 AM EDT: US forces arrive at Maduro’s compound in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital.
3:29 a.m. EDT: U.S. forces are “above the water” — that is, beyond the coast — on their way from Venezuela back to U.S. ships stationed in the Caribbean Sea.
4:21 AM EDT: Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States has carried out a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela and has arrested Maduro. The US President says he will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. EST.
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Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez “We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores,” he said.
She added: “We demand proof of life.” ————————- Maduro and his wife will face criminal charges following an indictment in New York, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said, vowing in a social media post that the couple “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” —————————— In South Florida, Venezuelans celebrated the news Maduro arrested at a rally outside a restaurant in South America. —————— Trump told Fox News that the couple was aboard the US warship Iwo Jima and headed to New York where they will face trial. ————————— The Justice Department issued a new indictment charging Maduro and his wife with their alleged roles in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. ———————— Trump posted a photo on social media showing Maduro wearing a tracksuit and blindfolded with the caption “Nicolas Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima.” —————————- Accompanying Trump at the press conference — which began about 40 minutes after the conference was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. EST — were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Stephen Miller, a senior White House aide overseeing homeland security matters. ——————— Trump said that the United States “ “I’ll Run” Venezuela Until Hakim transfers power. At that moment, there were no clear signs of US control over the country. ———————— In a televised address to the nation that lasted less than 15 minutes, Rodriguez left the door open for dialogue with the United States while also seeking to calm ruling party supporters.
“Here, we have a clear government, and I repeat and repeat again… we are ready to have respectful relations,” she said, referring to the Trump administration. “This is the only thing we will accept for some kind of relationship after we attack (Venezuela).”
The Supreme Court of Venezuela ordered Rodriguez to do so Assume the role of interim presidentThe leader was supported by the Venezuelan army. ——————- A plane carrying Maduro arrived in New York after the U.S. arrested him, an AP source said.
In a statement read on Cuban state television, the Cuban government announced that US military strikes in Venezuela had taken place 32 Cuban army and police officers were killed Who was on a mission at the request of the Venezuelan government.
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In comments on Air Force One, which was heading from Florida to Washington, Trump said that Venezuela was sick and needed US support, adding: “Colombia is very sick, too. It’s run by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States. He’s not going to do that for long.”
When asked if that might mean a US operation that could target Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Trump replied: “Sounds good to me.”
Trump said he had repeatedly offered to send US troops to Mexico, which he said “should join forces” on drug trafficking, and said President Claudia Sheinbaum was “concerned, she’s a little scared.”
But Trump, in response to a question about US military power in Cuba, said: “I think it will fall… I don’t think we need any action.”
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Maduro arrives at the federal court in New York City. ————— The United Nations Security Council convened Emergency meetingThe United States’ allies and opponents expressed their opposition to the American raid.
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Maduro’s son appeared at Venezuela’s National Assembly, where lawmakers elected in last May’s parliamentary elections were scheduled to be sworn in. Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolacito”, demanded that his parents be returned to the US authorities and asked for international support.
———————— Maduro made it First appearance In the American courtroom after his arrest. —————————- Maduro He pleaded not guilty In an American court, he told the judge: “I am a respectable man, the president of my country.”
Maduro’s next trial date is scheduled for March 17.