Venezuela-Trump live: Maduro officials accuse U.S. forces of ‘cold-bloodedly’ killing civilians during military operation
President Donald Trump claimed the US will “run” Venezuela now that Maduro has been captured
Venezuela’s defense minister accused U.S. forces of “cold-bloodedly” killing civilians and some of Nicolas Maduro’s security team during Saturday’s military operation.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their home during the raid and taken to the U.S. after being indicted on “narco-terrorism” charges, while strikes were simultaneously carried out in the capital of Caracas.
Vladimir Padrino Lopez gave a televised address Sunday, where he said U.S. forces were responsible for the deaths of “a large part of [Maduro’s] security team, soldiers, and innocent citizens” during the mission, but did not provide a figure.
The Independent has contacted the White House and the Department of Defense for comment.
Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio deflected questions after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would be running Venezuela in the interim.
“People keep fixating on that,” he told NBC News’ Meet the Press. “Here's the bottom line on it... we expect to see changes in Venezuela, changes of all kinds long term, short term.”
The ousted Venezuelan leader is being held at Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of his first court appearance on Monday.
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Recap: How US strikes and capture of Venezuelan president unfolded
- The world was stunned when the U.S. launched strikes on Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday (January 3), which rocked the capital of Caracas, while U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their home in a “meticulously planned” operation that was months in the making.
- Maduro and his wife were forced from their home and taken to New York via a U.S. Navy vessel, where they were indicted on several offenses, including narco-terrorism.
- President Donald Trump and top administration officials held a press conference at Mar-a-Lago Saturday morning, where Trump announced the U.S. would be “running” Venezuela in the meantime.
- Trump did not offer specifics about who would be running the country, but said his officials would be part of a team working with the Venezuelans in the interim.
- The president mentioned Venezuela’s oil industry several times during the press conference, leading to accusations from critics that the military action was about oil, and not drugs, as the administration has claimed.
- Maduro and his wife arrived on U.S. soil late afternoon Saturday and were in New York City by the evening.
- Maduro is currently being held at Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of his first appearance in court.
- His court appearance could happen as soon as Monday.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on the Sunday morning shows, where he reinforced the Trump administration’s message that the capture of Maduro “had to be done.”
- Rubio refused to give details about who was running the country right now and said people were “fixating” on it.
Venezuela strikes mapped: Where did US hit during operation to capture Maduro?
U.S. forces launched an extraordinary attack on Venezuela on Saturday, capturing its president in a dramatic overnight operation that sent shockwaves around the world.
At least seven explosions were reported and low-flying aircraft were spotted in the capital, Caracas, and rising smoke was seen in several regions at approximately 2am during the “large-scale” attack on Saturday.
The U.S. airstrikes hit La Guaira Port and the Higuerote Airport in Miranda, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Geolocated footage posted on 3 January also showcases that the US hit telecommunications towers southeast of Caracas.
The strikes follow multiple attacks on Venezuelan boats that the US claim are smuggling narcotics for drug cartels, and a build up of a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the largest U.S. aircraft carrier.
Shaheena Uddin maps where the strikes hit.
Venezuela strikes mapped: Where did US hit during operation to capture Maduro?
NEW: Maduro scheduled to appear in court Monday at noon
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to appear in court Monday at noon ET before Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, the District Court for the Southern District of New York said.
Officials have been pictured preparing for the hearing, with barriers being placed outside the courthouse, and line holding attendants were seen setting up spots.
Rubio tries to clarify Trump’s murky path ahead for Venezuela:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried on Sunday to shed more daylight on the Trump administration’s plan for a path forward in Venezuela after the abduction of Nicolas Maduro, the country’s president, and his wife in a military raid on Saturday.
But the secretary was unable to clearly say who the U.S. saw running the country even in the immediate term, as the country’s vice president reportedly fled to Russia to escape a potential similar fate and the U.S. has been unclear in its stance on who should fill the power vacuum that threatens to arise.
During an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Rubio was directly asked: “Mr. Secretary, who is in charge? Are you running Venezuela right now?”
The secretary did not give a clear answer.
John Bowden has the details.
Rubio tries to clarify Trump’s murky path ahead for Venezuela: We’re ‘running policy’
JD Vance hits back at criticism over fentanyl and oil
Vice President JD Vance has hit back at criticism that the Trump administration’s operation in Venezuela “has nothing to do with drugs” and is about the country’s oil reserves.
The majority of fentanyl that enters the U.S. originates from Mexico and China, according to federal law enforcement agencies, leading critics to question why the administration has targeted Venezuela so aggressively in its war on drugs.
Vance defended the Trump administration’s actions in a post on X.
“Cocaine, which is the main drug trafficked out of Venezuela, is a profit center for all of the Latin America cartels,” Vance said. “If you cut out the money from cocaine (or even reduce it) you substantially weaken the cartels overall. Also, cocaine is bad too!”
Questions asked over Trump's pardon of former Honduran president convicted of drug-trafficking
President Donald Trump’s recent pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was serving a 45-year prison term after being convicted of conspiring to smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into the United States, has come into question amid the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other top advisers were given no advance notice of his decision to issue what he called “a full and complete pardon” to Hernandez last month, who was described by one witness at his trial as having boasted of plans to “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump was asked about the pardon at his press conference Saturday and made a comparison to his own legal troubles.
“The man that I pardoned was, if you could equate it to us, he was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump,” the president said.
“This was a man who was persecuted very unfairly. He was the head of the country,” he added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio dodged questions about the pardon when he made the rounds on the Sunday morning shows, claiming he didn’t work on the pardon file and so couldn’t speak to it.
“The president outlined yesterday that he felt that in that particular case there was unfairness,” Rubio said.
NEW: Trump threatens Venezuela's de facto leader Delcy Rodriguez
President Donald Trump has threatened Venezuela’s de facto leader, Delcy Rodriguez, and said that “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she’ll pay a very big price, probably bigger than [Nicolas] Maduro,” according to The Atlantic.
The outlet spoke to Trump during a phone interview Sunday shortly after the president arrived at his West Palm Beach golf club in Florida.
During his Saturday press conference, Trump implied that Rodriguez, Maduro’s vice president, was on board with the administration’s plan to run the country and would work alongside the U.S.
But in a public address shortly afterward, Rodriguez made clear that was not the case and declared that the only president is Maduro.
Rodriguez also called for “respectful relations” with the Trump administration going forward.
Explainer: What’s next for Venezuela – and who is in charge of the country?
Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro has been captured and is facing trial in New York after he and his wife were seized in an extraordinary U.S. operation on Saturday.
At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were seen in the capital, Caracas, and rising smoke was spotted in numerous regions at approximately 2 a.m. during the “large-scale” attack on Saturday.
Hours after the attack was launched, President Donald Trump confirmed Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and flown out of Caracas. They were then indicted on several charges, including “narco-terrorism.”
Trump said hours after the raid that the U.S. was going to run Venezuela and seize control of its oil infrastructure, but when asked who was running the country on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not give a clear answer.
So who is in charge of Venezuela and what is next for the country?
Athena Stavrou reports.
What’s next for Venezuela – and who is in charge of the country?
Venezuelan defense minister claims 'large part' of Maduro's security team killed during raid
The U.S. killed a “large part” of Nicolas Maduro’s security team when its forces raided the president’s home in the raid to capture him and his wife, Venezuelan defense minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez claimed in a state televised address.
Padrino Lopez claimed in the video address that the capture of Maduro saw the “cold-bloodedly [sic] killing [of] much of his security team, soldiers, and innocent civilians.”
The defense minister said the Venezuelan government was still in charge, despite President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. was running the country in the meantime.
The Independent has contacted the White House and the Department of Defense for comment.
US military tried to extract Maduro on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day: report
The United States tried several times last year to extradite Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – including on Christmas and New Year’s Day – before successfully carrying out the strike on Saturday, according to a report.
The two earlier attempts to capture Maduro, who has ruled the country for 13 years, were hampered by weather, Trump administration officials and others familiar with the operation told the Wall Street Journal.
US tried to extract Maduro on Christmas and New Year’s Day, report says
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