Blindfolded, Handcuffed! Donald Trump Shares Picture Of Venezuela President Maduro After US Strikes

International

oi-Gaurav Sharma

US
President
Donald
Trump
on
Saturday
released
the
first
image
of
Venezuelan
President
Nicolas
Maduro
in
US
custody,
showing
him
handcuffed
and
blindfolded
aboard
the
USS
Iwo
Jima.
The
photograph
was
posted
hours
after
American
forces
carried
out
airstrikes
on
Caracas
and
launched
a
special
operation
to
detain
the
Venezuelan
leader.
Trump
said
Maduro
was
captured
following
what
he
described
as
a
successful
mission
targeting
a
regime
accused
of
narco-terrorism
and
drug
trafficking.
The
image
quickly
spread
online,
drawing
global
attention
and
sparking
debate
over
the
legality
of
the
operation
and
its
impact
on
Venezuela’s
political
future.

US
President
Donald
Trump
announced
that
Venezuelan
President
Nicolas
Maduro
had
been
captured
following
a
major
American
military
operation
in
Caracas,
marking
a
dramatic
escalation
in
Washington’s
long-running
confrontation
with
the
Venezuelan
government.

Speaking
hours
after
the
operation,
Trump
said
US
forces
carried
out
targeted
airstrikes
on
strategic
locations
in
and
around
the
Venezuelan
capital
before
deploying
special
operations
units
to
detain
Maduro
and
his
wife,
Cilia
Flores.
Trump
described
the
mission
as
“precise
and
successful,” claiming
it
dismantled
the
leadership
of
what
he
called
a
narco-terror
network
operating
from
Venezuela.

According
to
US
officials,
the
assault
began
around
2
am
local
time,
when
airstrikes
struck
key
sites
in
Caracas,
triggering
loud
explosions
that
sent
residents
fleeing
into
the
streets.
Shortly
after,
US
special
forces
entered
a
secured
location
where
Maduro
was
staying
and
took
him
into
custody.
Officials
said
the
operation
was
completed
swiftly,
with
Maduro
and
Flores
removed
from
Venezuelan
territory
within
hours.

In
his
remarks,
Trump
said
Maduro
had
been
transferred
to
US
custody
and
would
face
justice
in
American
courts.
“He
is
now
under
arrest
and
will
be
held
accountable
for
years
of
drugs,
corruption
and
violence,”
Trump
said,
adding
that
the
United
States
would
play
a
decisive
role
in
shaping
Venezuela’s
future
after
Maduro’s
removal.

US
authorities
later
confirmed
that
federal
prosecutors
in
New
York
had
filed
multiple
criminal
charges
against
Maduro
and
Flores,
including
narco-terrorism
conspiracy,
cocaine
importation,
and
weapons-related
offences.
Trump
said
the
indictments
were
the
result
of
years
of
investigations
into
alleged
links
between
the
Venezuelan
leadership
and
international
drug
trafficking
networks.

The
president
defended
the
legality
of
the
operation,
arguing
that
Maduro
posed
a
direct
threat
to
regional
and
US
security.
He
dismissed
criticism
from
foreign
governments
and
said
Washington
would
not
“stand
by
while
criminal
regimes
destroy
their
own
people
and
poison
others
with
drugs.”

Trump
also
hinted
at
deeper
US
involvement
in
Venezuela
going
forward,
including
in
the
country’s
energy
sector,
saying
America
would
be
“very
strongly
involved”
in
stabilising
the
nation
after
Maduro’s
exit.

The
announcement
triggered
sharp
global
reactions,
with
several
countries
questioning
the
legality
of
the
raid
and
warning
of
dangerous
precedents.
Inside
Venezuela,
uncertainty
spread
over
who
would
assume
power,
as
opposition
leaders
called
for
a
rapid
political
transition
and
the
restoration
of
democratic
institutions.

As
Maduro
prepares
to
face
trial
in
the
United
States,
Venezuela
remains
on
edge,
with
the
future
of
its
leadership,
military
loyalty
and
governance
still
unclear
following
one
of
the
most
dramatic
foreign
interventions
in
its
modern
history.