Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Caracas on Sunday in a passionate display of support for ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, demanding his immediate release from U.S. custody following his dramatic capture by American forces. The rally, organized by Maduro loyalists, featured paramilitary groups and motorcycle brigades accompanying protesters waving the distinctive yellow, blue and red Venezuelan flags.
Protesters carried emotionally charged signs reading ‘Free our president’ and ‘Venezuela is no-one’s colony’—the latter directly referencing President Donald Trump’s controversial statement that Washington would ‘run’ Venezuela during a transitional period. The gathering occurred just one day after U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on Caracas that reportedly neutralized Venezuelan defenses during the operation to apprehend Maduro.
The ousted leader faces serious charges of ‘narcoterrorism’ related to alleged cocaine trafficking into the United States and is scheduled to appear in a New York courtroom on Monday. Meanwhile, Venezuelan officials have reported significant casualties from the military operation, with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López stating that a ‘large part’ of Maduro’s security team was killed ‘in cold blood,’ along with military personnel and civilians.
Medical sources speaking anonymously suggested approximately 70 fatalities and 90 injuries from the pre-dawn strikes, though Venezuelan hospitals have declined to provide official casualty figures. The circumstances of Maduro’s capture have sparked widespread speculation about possible betrayal within his inner circle, particularly given the failure of air defense systems at the country’s largest military base where the arrest occurred.
Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, amplified these suspicions in an audio message circulated on social media, declaring that ‘history will tell who the traitors were.’ The emotional response from supporters like Nairda Itriago, 56, who angrily told AFP that ‘the narcotrafficker and terrorist is Trump,’ underscores the deep divisions and heightened tensions between the two nations.