On January 3, 2026, United States President Donald Trump announced that America had carried out a military operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and flying him out of the country to face charges in a US federal court.
According to US officials, President Maduro, long wanted on narco-terrorism and weapons-possession charges, was taken in a coordinated strike described by the White House as ‘extraordinary’ and necessary to bring a self-declared criminal and threat to justice.