Maduro 'captured and flown out' of Venezuela, Trump says

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Saturday, hours after US President Trump announced their capture.

Maduro faces charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US, Bondi said on X.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," Bondi said. She did not mention what charges Maduro's wife faced.

Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello vowed on Saturday that Caracas "will overcome" the US military strikes.

Speaking to a local TV broadcast, Cabello said: "This is not our first battle ... we have managed to survive under all circumstances."

Cabello is considered one of the most powerful men in Venezuela.

Oil production and refining at PDVSA, Venezuela's state-run energy company, were operating normally on Saturday despite the US strikes, Reuters news agency reported, citing two unnamed sources.

PDVSA's most important facilities suffered no damage from the strikes, two sources with knowledge of the company's operations added.

One of the sources was cited by Reuters as saying the port of La Guaira suffered severe damage. The port is among the country's largest, near Caracas, but it is not used for oil operations.

Venezuela's Foreign Ministry announced it was seeking a United Nations Security Council meeting to address the US strikes.

"Faced with the criminal aggression committed by the US government against our homeland, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which is responsible for upholding international law," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil wrote on the Telegram messaging platform.

Earlier on Saturday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said the location of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife was unknown, after US President Trump said they were captured and flown out of the country.

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said the bloc called for restraint after the latest events in Venezuela.

"The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition," Kallas said in a post on X. "Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected."

The vice president of the European Commission said she had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that the bloc, like many other European countries, was "closely monitoring" the situation.

"The safety of EU citizens in the country is our top priority," she said.

Argentine President Javier Milei celebrated the news about the US having captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"Freedom advances," Milei, a staunch Trump supporter and ally, wrote in Spanish on X, reacting to a post announcing Maduro's capture. "Long live freedom."

Germany was watching the situation in Venezuela with great concern, the German Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry was in close contact with the embassy in Caracas, and a crisis team was scheduled to meet later on Saturday to discuss the situation, the ministry said in a statement.

Colombia is deploying military forces to the Venezuelan border, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said. The deployment comes after US strikes on the neighboring country.

The decision followed a National Security Council meeting held to discuss the US strikes.

Petro condemned the strikes as an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America, warning of a humanitarian crisis. He said support forces will also be deployed to the border in the event of an influx of asylum seekers.

Spain has offered to mediate for a "peaceful solution" in Venezuela in reaction to the US strikes.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry called in a statement for de-escalation, moderation and respect for international law in Venezuela.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau declared "a new dawn for Venezuela" after US strikes on the country and the capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro.

"The tyrant is gone. He will now—finally—face justice for his crimes," Landau said in a post on X.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it was deeply worried over the US "act of armed aggression" against Venezuela.

"In the current ‌situation, ⁠it is important... to prevent further escalation ‍and to focus ​on ​finding a way out of the situation through dialogue," the Foreign Ministry said in a ‍statement.

"Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism," said the statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, which has defended the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now nearing its fourth year.

In an audio address on state TV, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said the location of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife was unknown. US President Trump said they were captured and flown out of the country.

"We demand proof of life," Rodriguez added.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a video on Saturday that the country will resist the presence of foreign troops, announcing a "massive deployment" of military resources.

He said some of the US strikes hit civilian areas, adding that Venezuela was compiling data about the victims.

Media reports cited unnamed US officials as saying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US special forces troops.

Unnamed US officials told CBS News that members of Delta Force, a US military top special mission unit, captured the Venezuelan president. This is the same force that killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the former leader of the so-called Islamic State, in 2019.

Reuters news agency also cited an unnamed US official as saying special forces troops were behind the capture, but did not name the Delta Force.