What Is Going On With Venezuela? Trump’s Capture Of Nicolás Maduro, Explained

The President’s successful seizure via airstrikes on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, is the culmination of months of escalating tensions between the South American nation and US President Donald Trump, who described Maduro as a “narco-terrorist” and plans to have him face a criminal trial in New York. 

Maduro’s capture and relocation to the US alongside his wife and Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores was unprecedented and divisive — sparking concerns about Trump’s potential violation of international law on one side, while being celebrated by some Venezuelans and global political figures on the other. 

The deluge of information and developing nature of the story have made the situation difficult to parse. Here’s what you need to know about Maduro’s capture, what led us here, and what’s next.

Maduro’s capture — Operation Absolute Resolve

Trump announced the successful seizure of Maduro in a social media post, describing the operation as a “spectacular assault”. After the announcement, various members of the Trump administration revealed details about the capture — dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve — including the involvement of 150 aircraft to execute the plan. 

It’s also reported that the operation took months of planning and rehearsals, with US spies said to have monitored Maduro — including where he slept, what he ate, and what he wore — in the time leading up to the operation. US troops even created a full-sized replica of Maduro’s home, the site of his capture, to practice entry routes. 

Details of the actual capture remain scarce. Venezuela recorded low-flying aircraft and multiple explosions at nearby sites in Caracas moments before US troops raided Maduro’s home. It’s said the Venezuelan President and Flores were dragged from their bedroom during the raid, before being taken to a US military ship off the country’s coast. 

The pair were boarded onto that ship, the USS Iwo Jima, en route to New York. Trump shared images of Maduro while on board, with the leader seen in a tracksuit while wearing large black glasses and headphones. Maduro landed on US soil on Sunday morning (AU time), where he received a fresh indictment in the Southern District of New York. 

Officials said there were no American casualties recorded during the raid. The question of Venezuelan casualties has so far gone unanswered.

What led to Maduro’s capture?

Maduro has been squarely in Trump’s sights ever since the US President took his second term. The Trump administration has pursued a pressure campaign to oust Maduro — whose rule, beginning in 2013, is considered dictatorial by the UN — and influence the Venezuelan regime, blaming it for wide-scale drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the US. 

Prior to Operation Absolute Resolve, this pressure campaign took many forms. In July, the US announced a $50 million ($75 million AUD) dollar bounty on Maduro’s head while accusing him of being one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world. 

After that, Trump declared Venezuelan gangs like Tren de Aragua as terrorist organisations and conducted airstrikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, all while building up the US military’s presence in the waters surrounding Venezuela.     

For the US, Venezuela is an emblem for socialism, migration, and drug trafficking — all of which mark key priorities for the Trump administration. Maduro’s capture was the climax of Trump’s months-long pressure campaign, but its ripple effect is still unfolding. 

So, what’s next?

What’s left in the wake of Maduro’s capture remains unknown. On the US side, it appears Trump has outlined plans to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela by vowing to “run” the country and repair its oil industry infrastructure. 

Trump floated plans to take over Venezuela’s oil business and sell “large amounts” of it to other countries, as well as convincing American energy companies to return to Venezuela and its oil infrastructure.  

Now essentially left leader-less, Trump said he is determined to make decisions about Venezuela while Maduro remains captured. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said in a press conference after the operation. 

Trump claimed Venezuelan officials have been compliant with his demands, but statements from high-ranking politicians paint a different picture. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez condemned the US operation, describing it as an “illegitimate kidnapping” while calling for Maduro’s immediate release. 

Rodriguez assured Venezuelans that its government remains intact despite Trump’s claims of overtaking it. “[Venezula] will never again be anyone’s colony neither of old empires, nor of new empires, nor of empires in decline,” Rodriguez said.   

In the more immediate future, Maduro is currently in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and will make his first appearance in US federal court in the coming days. He is awaiting trial in New York City on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.

The Justice Department has accused Maduro and other Venezuelan leaders of — among other crimes — using their positions in government to facilitate the importation of cocaine into the US over the course of more than two decades. Maduro has consistently denied the accusations. 

What comes next hinges on an array of developing scenarios, from the legality of Maduro’s capture, to the result of his criminal trial, and both the US and Venezuela’s ongoing response. The unprecedented operation has so far prompted more questions than answers, but one thing is clear: the fallout from Maduro’s capture is far from over.

Lead images: Getty Images     

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