US strikes Venezuela. Who is President Nicolás Maduro?
Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro was captured and arrested by United States forces Jan. 3 after the U.S. military struck the Caracas, USA TODAY reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on that Maduro and his wife had been captured. The operation comes after months of U.S. forces blowing up boats in the Caribbean that Trump says were carrying drugs and narcoterrorists en route to American shores.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro is charged with "Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts."
Government officials in Venezuela declared a state of emergency, calling the strikes "extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population," USA TODAY reported.
Here's what to know so far.
Was Venezuela's Maduro captured? Why?
Members of the U.S. Army's secretive Delta Force led the raid to capture Maduro and his wife, according to CBS News.
Delta Force, considered the Army's equivalent to the Navy's SEAL Team 6, is trained in counterterrorism and raids. It is the unit that carried out the 2019 raid that killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of ISIS.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee said in a post on X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will "stand trial on criminal charges in the United States."
The morning of Jan. 3, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro was indicted in federal court on a list of charges including narcoterrorism, drugs and weapons and conspiracy.
Who is Nicholas Maduro?
Nicolás Maduro Moros is the 63-year-old president of Venezuela and has served as country's leader since 2013. He was born Nov. 23, 1962, in the country's capital of Caracas. He is the hand-picked successor to socialist leader, Hugo Chávez, who died from cancer in 2013.
In 2013, he married Cilia Flores, who is often seen with him during political events.
Venezuela is an oil-rich nation long alleged to support the drug trade led by Maduro. He is been president for three terms but in the 2024 election the government's opposition claimed their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won the race, but Venezuela’s Supreme Court backed Maduro on Aug. 22.
Maduro shares a 35-year-old son, Nicolás Maduro (Jr.) Guerra, with his first wife, Adriana Guerra Angulo.
Maduro represents the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. During the 1980s, Maduro worked as a bodyguard and a bus driver, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
Why did the US attack Venezuela?
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized by the United States.
"This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement." U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Jan 3 Truth Social post.
Alleged drug trafficking out of Venezuela has been a target of the United States , which has favored regime change in the South American country.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton said Saturday morning that he’d spoken to Marco Rubio and the Trump official confirmed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is in U.S. custody and will face criminal charges.
“Nicolas Maduro wasn’t just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation. That’s why he was indicted in U.S. court nearly six years ago for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism,” Cotton said in a post on X.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee said in a post on X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will "stand trial on criminal charges in the United States."
How many Venezuelans are in Florida?
Florida is home to over half of the 600,000 Venezuelan TPS holders affected by the Trump administration, which stripped legal status of people here from that country.
Some officials in Florida have said the abrupt revocation of those Venezuelans' legal status and work permits will wreak havoc on the state's economy, especially in industries such as construction, health care and hospitality.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott posted on X, tagging the president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: "Thank you, and the brave members of our military who led the operation that successfully CAPTURED narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro. A new day is here for Venezuela and Latin America."
Contributing: Valentina Palm and Antonio Fins, USA TODAY Network-Florida
(This story was updated with new information.)