Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was arrested by members of the Delta Force special forces, the leading special forces unit of the US military, on the morning of January 3. Information revealed by top US officials to CBS News.
Delta Force is the elite special forces of the US military. This elite force was responsible for the 2019 campaign to eliminate former self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Previously, President Donald Trump informed on the social network Truth Social that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been arrested and taken out of the country.
The US leader confirmed that the US attacked Venezuela and said that US law enforcement agencies had participated in the campaign but did not specify how they participated or which units participated.
Before the US attacked Venezuela, President Maduro shared in an interview on Venezuelan state television earlier this week that he was ready to negotiate with the US on drug trafficking, oil and immigration issues.
The Venezuelan President affirmed his readiness to negotiate "wherever they want, whenever they want" and emphasized his readiness to reach an agreement to combat drug trafficking, or US investment in Venezuela's oil sector.
President Maduro, 63, has been in power in Venezuela since 2013. In January 2025, he was sworn in as President of Venezuela for the third term of 6 years.
Meanwhile, immediately after President Donald Trump announced that President Maduro and his wife had been arrested and taken out of Venezuela, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez spoke on the country's state television on the morning of January 3 about the situation of President Nicolas Maduro.
The Venezuelan Vice President requested evidence that President Nicolas Maduro is still alive and where the Venezuelan leader is.
Also on the morning of January 3, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez announced the deployment of military forces across the country.
In a video posted on social media after the US military launched attacks on the country, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez called for a unified resistance front in the face of the latest developments in Venezuela. He emphasized that all armed forces will be deployed according to "President Maduro's orders".
The head of the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense did not mention information from the US that President Maduro had been arrested and left Venezuela.
Mr. Vladimir Padrino Lopez called for calmness and solidarity, and warned against chaos and anarchy.
