The CIA sent a small team inside Venezuela to track authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro's locations and movements, providing key intelligence that led to his capture on Saturday, according to a new report.
CNN reported that the team was sent to the country over the summer. One source operated within the authoritarian government and assisted the U.S. with tracking Maduro before the operation.
"CIA covertly inserted a small team into Venezuela in the summer that was able to provide deep insight into Maduro's pattern of life, which made it possible to snatch him so easily when the time came," the source told the outlet
President Donald Trump posted an image of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, from where he will be taken to New York to face narco-terrorism charges. The image shows Maduro with his eyes and ears covered. He also appears to be in handcuffs while holding a bottle of water.
Trump said that top U.S. officials will work with a "team" to help run Venezuela until a democratic transition takes place. The team will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"It's largely going to be, for a period of time, the people that are standing right behind me. We're going to be running it. We're going to be bringing it back," Trump said during a press conference in his Mar-a-Lago club.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, on her end, said in a statement that it is "time of Popular Sovereignty and National Sovereignty to rule in our country."
"We will have order, release political prisoners, build an exceptional country and bring our sons back home. We have fought for years, we have given it all and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening," Machado added.
She went on to say that Edmundo Gonzalez, her candidate in the 2024 elections in which the regime claimed victory without showing the supporting documentation, must "immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Force by all officers and soldiers that are part of it."
"Today we're ready to uphold our mandate and take power. Let's remain vigilant, active and organized until the Democratic Transition takes place," she added.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
