The Venezuelan capital remained in a state of suspended animation Saturday as residents emerged from a night of unprecedented military action that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by US special forces. A palpable tension hung over Caracas, where the acrid scent of explosives lingered hours after pre-dawn strikes targeted key military installations.
The operation commenced approximately at 2:00 AM local time, unleashing a series of powerful detonations that initially confused residents. María Eugenia Escobar, a 58-year-old resident, described being jolted from sleep by the force of explosions. ‘I felt the explosions lift me out of bed. In that instant I thought: My God, the day has come,’ she recounted to AFP correspondents.
Military aircraft roared over residential neighborhoods while shockwaves rattled windows throughout the city. Witnesses reported substantial columns of smoke rising from multiple locations including La Guaira, Caracas’s primary airport and port facilities, alongside military complexes in Maracay and Higuerote.
The city’s normally vibrant streets presented an eerie tableau of abandonment, with minimal vehicular traffic and most commercial establishments shuttered. The few citizens venturing outside encountered heavily armed security patrols monitoring movement across urban centers.
Despite the overwhelming military presence, several hundred loyalists to the deposed leader congregated at impromptu rallies, chanting revolutionary slogans and demanding information regarding Maduro’s whereabouts. Protestor Katia Briceno, a 54-year-old academic, condemned the intervention as ‘barbarism,’ questioning the legitimacy of foreign forces removing a national leader.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the successful extraction of Maduro, who now faces prosecution in New York federal courts. Trump emphasized the operation concluded without American casualties while leaving Venezuelan military losses unquantified. The Defense Ministry, under General Vladimir Padrino Lopez, accused US forces of employing combat helicopters to strike civilian residential areas with missile and rocket fire.
Political uncertainty grips the nation as Trump announced US administration of Venezuela pending political transition. Contrary to expectations, Trump dismissed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as a viable successor, instead suggesting potential collaboration with Maduro’s deputy Delcy Rodriguez to facilitate Venezuela’s reconstruction.