Trump Announces Arrest Of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro And His Wife

United States President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that American forces had carried out a major operation in Venezuela and captured the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US launched a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela and that President Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

“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.

“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” he wrote.

Trump said he would hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, where he has been spending the holidays.

Speaking briefly with The New York Times, the US president praised the mission, calling it “brilliant” and saying it involved extensive planning and highly capable personnel.

“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” the paper quoted Trump as saying.

His announcement comes after months of increased U.S. political, military, and economic pressure on Maduro’s government, which relies heavily on oil.

In December, Trump said it would be “smart” for Maduro to resign and claimed that his “days are numbered.”

Trump’s statement about Maduro’s capture followed Maduro’s recent attempt to open communication with him, offering cooperation on issues such as drug trafficking and illegal migration.

Trump has given several reasons for taking actions Venezuela, saying the country is involved in drug smuggling to the United States and has taken control of U.S. oil assets.

While he has not directly called for Maduro’s removal, the U.S. government and many European countries do not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president.

This comes months after the U.S Government doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, raising it from $25 million to $50 million.