US President, Donald Trump, on Saturday shared the first image of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after US forces captured him in a midnight raid.
The photo shows the deposed Venezuelan leader handcuffed and blindfolded.
“Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken from their home on a military base and flown to a US warship bound for New York. They are expected to face federal charges over a “narco-terrorism” conspiracy.
The capture came after a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela, with explosions reported in Caracas and other cities. Maduro’s government condemned the operation as an “imperialist attack” and an “extremely serious military aggression,” declaring a state of emergency and calling on citizens to take to the streets.
Speaking on Saturday on “Fox and Friends Weekend,” Trump said Maduro and his wife were seized at the presidential palace and flown by helicopter to a US warship.
Trump said Maduro had been “highly guarded” inside a palace “like a fortress”, equipped with a secure room reinforced with steel. US forces, he claimed, were prepared to breach it using “massive blowtorches” if necessary.
“He didn’t get that space closed,” Trump said, adding that troops had rehearsed the raid using a replica of the building.
The operation took place at night, with Trump claiming the US turned off “almost all of the lights in Caracas.”
At least seven explosions were reported, and the raid lasted less than 30 minutes. Venezuela’s vice president said civilians and soldiers were killed, while Trump said only “a couple of guys were hit” on the US side.