Trump claims Maduro seized after US airstrikes rock Caracas

US President Donald Trump on January 3 claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured by US forces following large-scale airstrikes on Caracas, a dramatic assertion made hours after explosions jolted the Venezuelan capital.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the United States had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader,” adding that Maduro and his wife were taken into custody in a coordinated operation involving US law enforcement agencies and flown out of the country.

Trump said further details would be disclosed at a news conference scheduled for 11 am at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

The claim came after residents of Caracas reported a series of loud explosions beginning around 2 am local time on January 3. Witnesses described low-flying aircraft over the city as blasts rattled multiple neighbourhoods, sending people rushing into the streets in panic.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show buildings on fire and thick plumes of smoke rising across parts of the capital, though there was no immediate official confirmation from Venezuelan authorities regarding the cause of the explosions or Trump’s assertion of Maduro’s capture.