President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States had detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife after a “major attack” in the South American country.
The attack was carried out by the US Army’s elite Delta Force. Venezuela’s interior minister announced Wednesday that at least 100 people were killed in the attack. President Trump said there were no casualties among U.S. troops, but some service members were injured in the helicopter crash.
The Trump administration has for years considered prosecuting Maduro through the U.S. judicial system. In 2020, during President Trump’s first term, Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges of “narcoterrorism,” conspiracy to import cocaine, and related charges.
On Monday in New York, President Maduro and his wife Celia Flores pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges. A defiant Maduro told the judge he had been kidnapped.
President Trump has repeatedly warned in recent weeks that a ground attack would begin “soon” as the United States prepares to take new action against an alleged drug trafficking network in Venezuela. President Trump’s pressure campaign against Maduro included the destruction of more than 30 ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean in what the United States called a counter-drug operation. President Trump last month ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
President Trump said Saturday that the United States intends to “govern” Venezuela indefinitely until a “proper and wise transition of power” occurs. Delcy Rodriguez, an ally of President Maduro, has been sworn in as acting president.
Here are some articles that went viral last week and photos that caught our eye.
