US President Donald Trump announced the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a military operation in Venezuela, following attacks in Caracas. They will be transferred to New York to face narcotrafficking charges. The Venezuelan government denounced a US armed aggression.
In the early hours of January 3, 2026, Donald Trump reported the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, following reports of military attacks in Caracas and other Venezuelan areas. The operation, carried out by US special forces including Delta Force, involved detailed training, such as building a replica of the target residence with its security measures.
Trump detailed in a Fox News interview that the detainees were extracted from their bed by helicopter and taken to the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, from where they are heading to New York. 'They're on their way to New York. They've been indicted in New York. They were first taken to a ship, the Iwo Jima, and will continue to New York. Helicopters took them. A good flight, I'm sure they loved it,' the president stated.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Maduro and Flores will face trial in a federal court in the Southern District of New York on conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism charges, indicted since March 2020 by a grand jury. Sources from the US administration told CBS News that Trump ordered airstrikes against military targets in Venezuela, focused on the coastal area of La Guaira near Maiquetía airport.
The Venezuelan government responded by denouncing a 'grave military aggression' in Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira, with audible detonations in those areas. Caracas had previously labeled as 'threats' the US deployment of warships and planes in the Caribbean in August. Trump had warned of possible attacks in November as part of his pressure campaign against the Maduro regime over an alleged narcotrafficking network.
