Trump says Maduro captured and flown out of the country

Trump says Maduro captured and flown out of the country

What to know about the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela

  • President Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country” early Saturday morning, confirming a “large scale strike” by the U.S. that drew quick condemnation and concern from across the globe.
  • The U.S. Army’s Delta Force, an elite special forces unit, carried out the operation to capture Maduro, officials told CBS News.
  • A Republican senator said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had indicated that Maduro would face criminal charges in the U.S., where he was indicted years ago, and that Rubio “anticipates no further action in Venezuela.” The Trump administration has long accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, which Maduro denies.
  • The strikes follow months of U.S. military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.
  • In recent weeks, the U.S. has seized two oil tankers off Venezuela, launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs, and struck what President Trump called “the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”
  • President Trump will hold a news conference at Mar-a-Lago at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday. Watch and stream live on CBSNews.com and Paramount+.

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