Government supporters display posters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, right, and former President Hugo Chávez in downtown Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
In a shocking development, the United States on Saturday announced that its forces had captured Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
US captures Nicolás Maduro
The stunning operation was carried out by members of Delta Force, the US military’s top special mission unit, in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, following a series of explosions and a “large-scale strike” on Caracas and other military installations.
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro. (File Photo)
The whereabouts of Maduro are unclear at present, but the US has confirmed that he has been flown out of Venezuela.
The US operation, which was months in the making, brings an end to Maduro’s controversial rule in Venezuela, which began in 2013.
While the rest of the world knew Maduro as the President who ruled with an iron fist, for
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Maduro who was born on November 23, 1962, began his career as a bus driver but first made a name for himself as a trade union leader, following in the footsteps of his father.
Maduro was a member of the Movement of the Fifth Republic, which in 2007 merged with other leftist groups supporting Hugo Chávez’s Bolivarian Revolution to form the United Socialist Party (PSUV).
He was first elected on the MVR ticket to the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies in 1998, and to the National Constituent Assembly in 1999.
Maduro was elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly for the first time in 2000.
FILE – President Nicolas Maduro flashes victory signs during Indigenous Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Oct 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
Successor of Hugo Chávez
Over the years, he became a close confidant of Chávez, who in 2005 appointed Maduro as the Assembly Speaker. Maduro further strengthened his position in Chávez’s inner circle and became the Venezuelan Foreign Minister in 2006.
Amid growing concerns about his health, Chávez appointed Maduro as his Vice President in 2012 and, in 2013, formally named him as the successor.
FILE – Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro points at a map of the Americas during a new conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jesus Vargas), File
Chávez passed away in March 2013, and in April 2013, Maduro formally became the President of Venezuela, a position he held ever since until his ouster on Saturday.
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Government supporters display posters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, right, and former President Hugo Chávez in downtown Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) 
