The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington. It was an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack. Multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas as Maduro’s government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations. The government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets. It was not immediately clear who was running the country, and Maduro’s whereabouts were not immediately known.
