NEW YORK – US President Donald Trump shared dramatic picture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in detention, triggering international shockwaves and fierce debate.
Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump captioned the image: “Nicolás Maduro, on the USS Iwo Jima.” The warship, Trump said was transporting the Venezuelan leader to the United States.
The picture is stark and unsettling: Maduro wearing an eye mask, headphones over his ears, clutching a bottle of water, dressed in a grey tracksuit, a visual echo of high-profile military detainee transfers. According to US officials cited by the BBC’s American partner CBS, Maduro is currently in US military custody.
A US military aircraft carrying Maduro is expected to land at Stewart Airport, a military airfield in Orange County, New York, located in the Hudson Valley. Sources say that after landing, Maduro will be handed over to federal authorities.
He is expected to appear as early as Monday in New York’s Southern District Federal Court, one of the most powerful federal jurisdictions in Washington.
CIA tracked Maduro through human intelligence source embedded inside Venezuelan government. This source, part of a wider intelligence network involving aerial surveillance and signals intelligence, helped elite US Delta Force units pinpoint Maduro’s exact location.
The operation was reportedly the result of months of meticulous planning and close coordination between the CIA and the US Department of Defense. CIA Director John Ratcliffe had previously stated that the agency would aggressively prioritize human intelligence recruitment.
US government had offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture.
Trump has spent more than twelve minutes in live interviews with Fox News, confirming key elements of the overnight operation that led to Maduro’s arrest. “I watched it exactly like I was watching a television show,” Trump said.
According to Trump, both Maduro and his wife were arrested. No US soldiers were killed, though some were injured. He confirmed that the US is prepared to launch further strikes against Maduro loyalists inside Venezuela if necessary. Trump also revealed that one week before the operation, he personally warned Maduro:
US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Maduro and his wife have been formally indicted in the Southern District of New York.
Maduro faces a sweeping list of charges Narco-terrorism conspiracy, Conspiracy to import cocaine, Possession of machine guns and destructive weapons and conspiracy to use machine guns and destructive weapons against the United States
US officials signal that no immediate further attacks are planned, suggesting Trump may consider his objective achieved. But the central question remains: can Chavismo survive without Maduro?
Three figures are now under intense scrutiny Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President Diosdado Cabello, Interior Minister and Vladimir Padrino, Defense Minister. All three appeared on Venezuelan television just hours after the operation. Cabello and Padrino hold deep influence within the armed forces, making the military’s loyalty the decisive factor in who controls the state.
‘No More operations expected in Venezuela; Maduro to face criminal trial in US’
