Trump says US has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after 'large scale strike'
Luis JAIMES / AFP via Getty Images
- President Donald Trump says the US has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
- Venezuela said the US had carried out strikes on Caracas early Saturday.
- In a statement, Caracas said it rejected and denounced the "extremely serious military aggression."
President Donald Trump says the US has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following a "large scale strike" on the South American nation.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "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."
A news conference is set to be held from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida from 11 a.m. ET.
Venezuela said the US had carried out strikes on Caracas early Saturday.
In a statement, Maduro's government said the US had targeted both military and civilian areas and called on "all social and political forces" to reject the attacks.
"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America," the statement continued.
It added that the aim of the attack was for the US to "seize Venezuela's strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, in an attempt to forcibly break the nation's political independence."
Explosions were heard around the capital early Saturday morning.
Vladimir Padrino, Venezuela's defense minister, said in an update that the government is now gathering information about the number of casualties.
It comes amid mounting tensions between Maduro and Trump, who has repeatedly threatened military action against Venezuela in recent months over alleged drug trafficking networks in the nation. Caracas has maintained that Washington's true goal is to overthrow the Venezuelan government.
"Far from a supposed fight against narcoterrorism, this deplorable action seeks to definitively force a regime change," Padrino added of the strikes on Saturday.
Business Insider has contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.