Pictures showed locals running in terror, bombed out public infrastructure and flames being fanned across Caracas after a series of blasts and low-lying aircraft were heard
Dramatic new pictures from Venezuela have captured the moment US forces descended on the country and mounted an explosive, lightning-fast operation to extract Nicolas Maduro that left some locals running in terror.
The authoritarian Venezuelan President, who has long been the target of Donald Trump‘s administration, was “captured” from this morning in what the US President described as a “large scale strike”. Explosions rocked parts of Caracas as soldiers descended on the capital city, with black smoke seen pouring from buildings in the city early in the morning.
Trump is yet to address the opeation outside the confines of his social media platform Truth Social – he is planning to make a public statement at 11am local time (4pm GMT) from Mar-a-Lago but pictures and statements from the country’s remaining top officials have provided additional details about what happened.
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The President said in his Truth Social post: “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. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow.
“There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Maduro has since been indicted in the Southern District of New York on drugs trafficking and firearms charges.
Tarek William Saab, Venezuela’s attorney general, said during televised remarks that the US strikes left “innocent” people “mortally wounded, although without providing evidence, and branded the strike a “terrorist attack”.
Pictures and video from the ground have been captured by Venezuelans showing orange flashes seen from residential homes on what what appears to be a military base. In the morning light, additional photos showed angles of a destroyed civilian bus and people walking by smouldering metal shipping containers.