The Venezuelan government does not know where Maduro is and demands “immediate proof of life” from Trump for the president and the first lady
US President Donald Trump announced this Saturday that the US Army has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, during a military operation carried out this morning, accompanied by a series of bombings against the country’s capital, Caracas, and the states of Aragua and La Guaira.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez informed the country that the Venezuelan government currently does not know the whereabouts of Maduro and the first lady, and immediately demanded that President Trump provide “proof of life” to confirm, at least, the couple’s well-being.
“We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. We demand that President Donald Trump provide immediate proof of life for President Maduro and the First Lady,” Rodríguez declared.
Trump made the initial announcement on his Truth Social platform, where he indicated that Maduro and his wife had been “taken out of the country” after “a large-scale attack” in an operation carried out in conjunction with US law enforcement agencies.
In comments to the New York Times, Trump celebrated “a brilliant operation” about which he will provide more information at a press conference from his residence in Palm Beach, Florida, at 5:00 PM Spanish time.
Hours before this announcement, the United States launched a series of air strikes against Caracas and the states of Aragua and La Guaira, in the vicinity of the Venezuelan capital, which the Venezuelan government, in an initial reaction, condemned as a “very serious military aggression against Venezuelan territory and population.”
Colombian Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino confirmed at least one attack “fired from combat helicopters” against the Fuerte Tiuna military complex. Local media are also reporting bombings against the La Carlota military base and the Higuerote airport, the El Volcán communications tower, and the port of La Guaira. There are no reports of casualties at this time.
The alleged “capture” of Maduro and the US attacks on Venezuela have finally escalated the enormous diplomatic and military tension that has prevailed between the two countries in recent months. It is worth remembering that Trump had ordered the deployment of warships off the coast of Venezuela, seized oil tankers departing from its ports, and openly threatened to attack Venezuelan territory under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking.
