Details and secrets of the process of arresting Maduro and removing him from Venezuela

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that US forces had arrested President Nicolas Maduro after carrying out a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela, before authorities in Washington announced that Maduro and his wife would face “the full wrath of US justice” on charges related to drugs and terrorism.

Trump explained on the “Truth Social” platform, “The United States of America successfully carried out a large-scale strike on Venezuela and its president, Nicolas Maduro, who was arrested with his wife and transported outside the country.”

In a brief statement to the New York Times, Trump described the operation as “wonderful,” explaining that “good preparation” preceded it, and that “many good soldiers” participated in it, explaining that the most prominent sites targeted were the Fuerte Teuna military complex, the largest in Venezuela and located south of Caracas, and the Carlota Air Base in the north.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi reported on “X” that Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil and in American courts.”

She noted that the couple faces charges in New York federal court related to “conspiracy in the context of drug-related terrorism, and conspiracy to import cocaine.”

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau considered that there is a “new dawn” for Venezuela, whose socialist president, Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, is accused by Trump of heading a vast drug trafficking network, which Maduro denies.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed in a television statement that she does not know the whereabouts of Maduro, 63 years old, and called on the United States to provide “proof” that Maduro and his wife are “alive” after this amazing operation.

On Saturday, Venezuela condemned the “very dangerous military aggression” following the overnight strikes around the capital and its region, which Colombian President Gustavo Petro described as a “missile” attack.

The first powerful explosions were heard in the Venezuelan capital and its surroundings, starting at approximately 2:00 local time (6:00 GMT), and continuing until 3:15 am (7:15 GMT).

A government statement indicated that “Venezuela rejects, denounces and condemns… the very dangerous military aggression launched by the United States against the territory and people of Venezuela.”

The statement said, “The goal of this aggression is nothing other than controlling Venezuela’s strategic resources, especially oil and minerals, in an attempt to break the nation’s political independence.”

The government called on “various social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans,” according to the statement, which indicated that Maduro “signed (the decision to declare) a state of emergency and ordered it.”

Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez, on social media at dawn on Saturday, accused the US army of targeting “residential areas,” announcing the implementation of a wide deployment of all of his country’s military capabilities.

He said, “The invading forces have desecrated our land… even targeting residential areas inhabited by civilians with missiles and shells fired from helicopters,” noting that the authorities are “collecting data on the dead and wounded.”

He promised to “implement a wide deployment of all land, air, sea, river and missile capabilities.”

The American attack comes after Trump raised the possibility of launching ground strikes against Venezuela and confirmed that Maduro’s days were “numbered.” The US President deployed a military fleet in the Caribbean Sea to combat drug smuggling and carried out strikes against boats that resulted in deaths.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is close to Maduro, wrote on the X website, “They attacked Venezuela,” demanding an “immediate” meeting of the Organization of American States and the United Nations to consider the “international legitimacy” of this “aggression.”

Petro announced that he had ordered the deployment of military forces on the border with Venezuela. He described the American bombing as an “attack on the sovereignty” of Latin America, expecting it to cause a humanitarian crisis.

Iran “strongly condemned the American military attack on Venezuela”, with which it has close relations, while the Russian Foreign Ministry considered it “a very disturbing matter and worthy of condemnation,” demanding immediate clarifications regarding Maduro’s status and whereabouts.

Spain called for “de-escalation and restraint,” stressing that it is “ready to offer its good offices to reach a peaceful, negotiated solution to the current crisis.” As for Germany, Italy and Poland, they indicated that they are following the situation closely and with concern.

The European Union, through its foreign policy official Kaya Kallas, urged “restraint,” recalling the necessity of “respecting the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter… in all circumstances.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “We must all respect international law.”

For its part, China called on its citizens in Venezuela to “avoid leaving” their homes.

A woman from La Guaira told Agence France-Presse that she heard explosions at Caracas airport and its port. Other residents told AFP that they heard explosions in Higueroti, about 100 kilometers east of Caracas.

In many neighborhoods, residents rushed to their windows and balconies in an attempt to understand what was happening.

Electricity was cut off in areas of the city, according to residents.

Maria Eugenia Escobar (58 years old), a resident of La Guaira, told Agence France-Presse, “The explosions lifted me out of bed with their force, and at that moment I thought (…) that the day had come, and I started crying.”

Francis Peña, 29, also woke up at night and said, “We started preparing a bag containing the most important things, such as a passport, cards, cash, a candle, a change of clothes, and canned food. We put on our clothes just in case.”

A US senator quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday as confirming that Washington had completed its military operation in Venezuela with the arrest of Maduro.

Trump announced on Monday that the United States had targeted and destroyed a marina used, according to him, to launch boats through which drugs were smuggled from Venezuela, in the first American ground attack on Venezuelan territory.