Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been captured and flown out of Venezuela after the US carried out a large scale strike on the capital city of Caracas, US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday.
According to Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez,the government is unaware of the whereabouts of Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, adding the US attack has cost the lives of officials, military personnel and civilians across the country.
Several explosions were reported in Caracas and some areas of the city were without electricity. The first blast was recorded at approximately 1.50am local time on Saturday (0.50am E.T.).
In response to the US attack, Venezuela has requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto said.
“No cowardly attack will prevail against the strength of this people, who will emerge victorious,” he said on Telegram, sharing the letter sent to the UN.
Meanwhile, Russia has sent a message of solidarity to Venezuela. The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called an “act of armed aggression against Venezuela” by the United States, calling any “excuses” given to justify such actions “untenable.”
“We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for the Bolivarian leadership’s course of action aimed at protecting the country’s national interests and sovereignty,” a statement from the foreign ministry said.
The ministry added that Latin America must “remain a zone of peace.”
“In the current situation, it is important, first and foremost, to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue,” the statement said. “Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, interference from outside.”
The Russian Embassy in capital city Caracas is operating as usual, according to the ministry, which added: “At present, there is no information about any Russian citizens who have been affected.”
On August 7, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro
Secretary of State,Marco Rubio is said to have confirmed the arrest saying Maduro will stand trial in US, according to a Republican senator who says he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee posted on X early Saturday.
