Trump says Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, wife ‘captured’ after large-scale strikes | 3 Jan 2026 | Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by U.S. forces during a “large-scale” nighttime military operation early Saturday, President Trump announced. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump ordered airstrikes on military sites around the Venezuelan capital of Caracas with at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft reported in the region, which began around 2 a.m. local time amid heightened tensions between Maduro and the U.S. The strikes rocked sites in the state of Miranda, where Caracas is located, and nearby Aragua and La Guiera, sending plumes of smoke and fire into the air and causing power outages.