U.S. special operations forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, in an overnight operation on Jan. 3, and flew them out of the country to face criminal charges in the United States.

“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,” U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning.

Here’s what we know so far.

Maduro Captured From Military Fort

Nahum Fernández, the leader of Maduro’s ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, told The Associated Press that Maduro and his wife were at their residence in the Fort Tiuna military complex in the Venezuelan capital Caracas at the time of the U.S. operation.

“That’s where they bombed. And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president and the first lady of the country,” Fernández said.

Low-flying aircraft and explosions were reported at Fort Tiuna, as well as numerous other locations along Venezuela’s northern coast on Saturday, as the operation played out.

In an interview with Fox News in the hours after the raid, Trump said the special operations forces who conducted the raid “rehearsed and practiced like nobody’s ever seen,” and had built a model version of the location they raided.

“He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors. It had what they call the safety space, where it’s, you know, solid steel all around,” Trump said.

“He didn’t get that space closed. He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn’t get into that. We were prepared.”

The U.S. president declined to specify which special operations troops conducted the capture mission.

Mission Had Extensive Air Support

As Trump spoke with Fox News, he described numerous military aircraft that supported the operation.

“It was very complex, extremely complex, the whole maneuver, the landings, the number of aircraft, which were a massive number, the number of helicopters, different type of helicopters, different type of fighter jets,” Trump said.

“We had a fighter jet for every possible situation,” he added.

At a subsequent press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said Venezuelan forces had been at a high state of readiness as the operation began, but U.S. forces had managed to quickly overwhelm and incapacitate those defenses.

Trump also shared footage on Truth Social, appearing to show several of the military helicopters flying in as explosions and smoke could be seen in the background.

Joining Trump at the Mar-a-Lago press conference, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said more than 150 aircraft launched from locations across the Western Hemisphere to support the effort.

Caine said the U.S. aircraft involved F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lighting II stealth fighter jets, F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, B-1 Lancer bombers, EA-18G Prowler electronic warfare aircraft, unmanned drones, and other support aircraft.

U.S. Space Force capabilities also came into play for the mission, as did intelligence support from the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

US Pressure Campaign Preceded Raid

The U.S. government named Maduro in a criminal indictment in March 2020, accusing him of leading a narcotics trafficking ring with a connection to Colombia’s left-wing FARC guerrillas.

U.S. military forces had amassed around Venezuela in recent months, as part of Operation Southern Spear. That effort had seen dozens of lethal strikes on what U.S. officials said were drug boats operating in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Before the Jan. 3 operation to capture Maduro, Trump had repeatedly hinted at operations against land-based targets. On Dec. 26, 2025, Trump referenced the first apparent U.S. strike on a land-based target in the region, later stating on Dec. 29 that the strike targeted a facility used to load drug boats.

Leading up to the capture mission, Trump had directed U.S. forces in the region to help enforce a blockade of oil tankers coming in and out of Venezuela.

“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping,” Trump stated in a Dec. 16 Truth Social post.

“For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”

Trump Offered Maduro Chance to Step Down: Vance

Trump and Maduro had spoken by phone prior to the Jan. 3 operation.

Vice President JD Vance, in a Jan. 3 post on X, said Trump had offered Maduro “multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States.”

“Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says,” Vance said.

“Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.”

In Maduro’s absence, the leadership of Venezuela would fall to Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez under the Venezuelan Constitution. However, it is unclear if that has taken place.

Rodriguez, in a statement after the U.S. strike, demanded proof of life of Maduro and his wife.

This is a developing story and will be updated with additional details.