Trump Says Maduro Captured in Overnight U.S. Operation
The world woke up to chaos early Saturday after President Donald Trump posted on TruthSocial, saying the United States carried out overnight airstrikes in Venezuela — and allegedly captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in the process.
According to Trump, the dramatic operation went down in the early morning hours and ended with Maduro and his wife being taken into U.S. custody and flown out of the country.
Maduro Captured
Trump made the jaw-dropping announcement in a post on his Truth Social account, boasting that the U.S. had launched a “large-scale strike” targeting Maduro and his regime. He also said the mission involved U.S. law enforcement and teased a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. EST at Mar-a-Lago.
EXPLOSIONS, FIRES & LOW-FLYING AIRCRAFT REPORTED ACROSS CARACAS
As Trump’s post circulated online, residents in Caracas were reporting loud explosions, fires, and military aircraft flying dangerously low over the city in the middle of the night.
Full-scale military operations appear to be underway against Venezuela, with dozens of helicopters with the U.S. Army spotted over the capital of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/kIqfbGjOK4
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026
Videos began flooding social media showing multiple blasts across the metropolitan area, including near military installations and close to the presidential palace, Miraflores. The footage has not been independently verified, but eyewitnesses say the explosions started around 2 a.m. local time.
VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT CALLS IT “MILITARY AGGRESSION”
The Venezuelan government wasted no time firing back — verbally.
In a statement shared on Telegram, officials accused the United States of launching a “grave military aggression”, claiming U.S. forces struck both civilian and military locations in Caracas and nearby states, including Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
They called the alleged attack a blatant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
THIS HAS BEEN BREWING FOR MONTHS
The Trump administration has been ratcheting up pressure on Maduro for months, accusing him of running a massive drug-trafficking operation known as the Cartel de los Soles. Since late summer, U.S. aircraft carriers and warships have been positioned throughout the Caribbean, with dozens of reported strikes on vessels accused of transporting narcotics.
Maduro, for his part, has long claimed the U.S. is trying to overthrow him to gain control of Venezuela’s massive oil reserves, some of the largest on the planet.
