President Donald Trump said the U.S. "successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela" early Saturday and that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country."
The stunning announcement came a few hours after explosions rocked the Venezuelan capital Caracas.
Latest Developments
Jan 4, 1:51 PMJoint statement details DOJ interagency effort to capture Maduro
The operation to capture and bring Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to the U.S. took months of planning with the Department of Defense, according to a joint statement from the agency and the Justice Department, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Agency."Specialized FBI and DEA personnel, including tactical and transport teams, worked alongside DOW and our DOJ attorneys and other DOJ components to ensure the secure movement, control, and transfer of 2 high-risk defendants," the statement says, in part. "All personnel involved acted professionally, decisively, and in strict accordance with U.S. law and established protocols."
The statement further says the United States "pursued every lawful option to resolve this matter peacefully. Those opportunities were repeatedly rejected. The responsibility for this outcome rests solely with those who chose to continue criminal conduct rather than disengage.""The mission was conducted to support an ongoing criminal prosecution tied to large-scale narcotics trafficking and related offenses that have fueled violence, destabilized the region, and contributed directly to the drug crisis claiming American lives," according to the statement.-ABC News' Luke Barr
Jan 4, 1:30 PMVenezuelan defense minister condemns 'cowardly kidnapping' of Maduro
In a statement released on Sunday, Venezuela's minister of defense condemned the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, calling it a "cowardly kidnapping."Maduro and his wife, according to President Donald Trump, were arrested and brought to the United States toface federal narco-terrorism charges.The statement, posted on theInstagram accountfor Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, said a "large part" of Maduro's security team was killed in the U.S. mission that extracted Maduro from his Caracas compound in the early morning hours on Saturday.The statement goes on to say that the Venezuelan military will support Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president, as she assumes the role of acting president, and will "guarantee the governability of the country, and our institution will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defense."-ABC News' Victoria Beaule
Jan 4, 11:34 AMMaduro to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday on alleged drug charges
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday for arraignment on a four-count indictment that will charge him with allegedly leading a 25-year narco-terrorism conspiracy.-ABC News' Aaron Katersky
Jan 4, 11:03 AMRubio claims US is running 'the direction' of Venezuela situation
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday the U.S. was in charge of "the direction" of the situation in Venezuela after U.S. forces arrested and deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro."President Trump was pretty clear yesterday. He said the United States is going to run Venezuela. Under what legal authority?"ABC News' "This Week"anchor George Stephanopoulos asked."Well, first of all, what's going to happen here is that we have a quarantine on their oil. That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interests of the Venezuelan people are met," Rubio said.
But pressed on whether the U.S. was in charge of the country right now, Rubio said that what the U.S. was "running" was the direction of the situation."What we are running is the direction that this is going to move moving forward. And that is we have leverage," Rubio said."The leverage that we have here is the leverage of the quarantine. So that is a Department of War operation conducting, in some cases, law enforcement functions with the Coast Guard on the seizure of these boats," Rubio said.Rubio added that Maduro was someone the U.S. "simply couldn't work with," and said that the administration was not recognizing Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the current legitimate leader."We don't believe that this regime in place is legitimate via an election," Rubio said."Ultimately, legitimacy for their system of government will come about through a period of transition and real elections, which they have not had," he added.-ABC News Nicholas Kerr
Jan 4, 5:01 AMVenezuela supreme court directs VP to assume acting presidency
The Venezuelan Supreme Court on Saturday announced an order directing Delcy Rodriguez, the vice president, to assume the role of acting president.The order cited the "exceptional situation created by the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro Moros, President of the Republic, which constitutes a case of material and temporary impossibility for the exercise of his duties."
Under the order, whichwas postedin Spanish on the court's official website, Rodriguez would in her temporary position have "all the powers, duties, and faculties inherent to the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation."-ABC News' Victoria Beaule
Jan 3, 11:31 PMPhotos show handcuffed Maduro escorted by DEA administrator
Photos obtained by ABC News show a handcuffed Nicolas Maduro being escorted by Drug Enforcement Administrator Terry Cole and other federal agents after landing in New York on Saturday.
After arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, Maduro was taken by helicopter to New York City and then to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.Maduro, who was captured in Venezuela early Saturday morning along with his wife Cilia Flores, is facing federal narco-terrorism charges in the U.S.
Jan 3, 8:56 PMMaduro en route to Brooklyn detention center, his wife also in NY: Sources
Nicolas Maduro's wife Cilia Flores, is also in U.S. custody in New York, sources familiar with the matter said.
Shortly before 9 p.m., Maduro was on his way to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, where he will be held.-ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Luke Barr and Katherine Faulders
Jan 3, 7:20 PMPhotos appear to show Maduro being escorted from plane in New York
Photos and videos appeared to show Maduro being escorted by agents from a plane after it landed outside New York City.
Maduro was expected to be flown into the city by helicopter and expected to be processed on federal charges and detained in a federal jail as he awaits trial.
Jan 3, 6:44 PM'Trump finally said the quiet part out loud,' DNC chair
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin criticized the U.S. operations in Venezuela in a statement on Saturday, excoriating Trump for what Martin called "unconstitutional and illegal strikes.""Today, Trump finally said the quiet part out loud. The justification for this war isn't about stemming the flow of drugs. This is about regime change. This is about enriching oil corporations and billionaires," Martin said.
He called for Congress to "immediately assert its constitutional authority" over U.S. military moves."This is the worst kind of betrayal from Trump. He committed the United States to an uncertain role in South America with an indeterminate timeline," Martin said.-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim
Jan 3, 6:23 PMUS attack sparks some protests
Some protests were reported in the U.S. and other countries following the attack.
In New York City's Times Square, crowds mustered with signs urging the U.S. to stay out of Venezuela.
A similar crowd also demonstrated outside of the White House.Meanwhile, in Doral in South Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S., people gathered in the street to cheer Maduro's capture, dancing and waving Venezuelan flags.
Elsewhere around the world, protesters in Paris burned the American flag and waved "boycott the U.S." signs. Demonstrators in Athens also burned American flags.
In Colombia, protesters demonstrated in front of the U.S. embassy while in In Buenos Aires, a banner was tacked up reading "Trump, your drug is oil."
-ABC News' Victoria Beaulé
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