WASHINGTON (Kashmir English): US President Donald Trump has said that he watched the video of the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro live, just like on a TV show.
In an interview with a US TV channel, Trump said that he watched the arrest operation in Florida with military generals.
He added that Maduro is being taken to New York, where he will be tried in a Manhattan court on drug and arms trafficking charges.
According to President Trump, the secret preparation for this operation had been underway since early December, but a decision on who will rule Venezuela has yet to be made.
He also said that some US personnel were injured in a helicopter crash during the operation.
According to US media, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arrested by US forces in their bedroom.
It should be noted that the US invaded Venezuela and targeted important targets in the capital, Caracas, through Delta Force.
Venezuela called the operation an act of aggression, claiming that it was aimed at seizing the country’s oil and mineral resources.
Nicolas Maduro
Nicolas Maduro entered the political scene under the leadership of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and was elected president in 2013 after Chávez.
Maduro was declared the winner in the 2024 presidential election, although the opposition claimed that his candidate, Edmundo González, had won by a clear majority.
Maduro has been at odds with the US government, particularly over issues such as Venezuelan migrants and drug trafficking.
President Trump has designated two Venezuelan drug gangs, the Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de Los Solís, as foreign terrorist organizations, and alleged that the Cartel de Los Solís was led by Maduro himself.
Earlier, the US government offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture.
Maduro has vehemently denied the allegations, calling the US “war on drugs” a conspiracy against him, aimed at seizing Venezuela’s oil reserves.
In the past few months, US forces have carried out several operations in international waters, killing several people accused of smuggling drugs into the US.
