Nicolas Maduro and wife dragged from their bedroom in US raid, Trump says he watched mission live

CARACAS, VENEZUELA: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into US custody during a high-risk overnight operation that abruptly ended Maduro’s grip on power, according to sources familiar with the mission.

The operation, carried out in the early hours of the morning, was conducted by US special operations forces and resulted in the capture of the Venezuelan leader without any reported American casualties.

US officials described the mission as swift, tightly controlled, and designed to extract the targets before any organized resistance could materialize.

Officials call mission a 'clean extraction'

Sources briefed on the operation said the raid unfolded rapidly, with US forces entering the residence while Maduro and Flores were asleep. 

The team moved quickly to secure both individuals, preventing any opportunity for escape or interference by loyalist security forces.

One official familiar with the mission described the operation as a “clean extraction,” emphasizing that the speed and surprise of the raid were critical to its success.

Trump watched raid live from Mar-a-Lago

President Donald Trump said that he monitored the Venezuela operation in real time from Mar-a-Lago, listening to live communications between the command center and US forces on the ground.

Speaking by phone with Fox News, Trump described following the mission as it unfolded minute by minute.

“I was able to watch it in real time, and I watched every aspect of it,” Trump said. “It was amazing to see the professionalism.”

He praised the military’s equipment and coordination, adding that while there were “a few injuries.” Trump did not confirm any fatalities.

Trump used the operation to contrast his administration’s approach with the Biden-era withdrawal from Afghanistan, arguing the raid demonstrated restored US resolve and capability.

“We’re not a laughingstock anymore,” he said, framing the capture as a signal of renewed American military strength.

FBI agents joined the mission

The operation was not purely military in nature. Individuals with knowledge of the raid confirmed that FBI agents were embedded alongside US special operations personnel on the ground.

Their involvement underscores the law-enforcement component of the mission, ensuring that the capture complied with US judicial procedures and that custody of the detainees could be formally transferred from military control to federal authorities.

En route to Manhattan

Following the extraction, preparations began to transport Maduro to the United States, where he is expected to face charges in federal court in Manhattan.

The case is being handled in the Southern District of New York, where US agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, have spent years investigating alleged criminal activity tied to the Venezuelan leader.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro will “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil,” as the focus now shifts from the operation itself to what is expected to be a landmark legal proceeding.