Tokyo International News Agency

On January 3, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced via his social media that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been detained and removed from the country in a large-scale military operation by the U.S. armed forces. The Venezuelan government condemned this action as 'extremely serious military aggression.' Upon his arrival in New York the same day, the detained President Maduro was indicted on drug-related charges and subsequently confined to a detention center in Brooklyn. According to reports, the operation was carried out after months of meticulous surveillance and planning, involving the U.S. Army Special Forces 'Delta Force' and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment 'Night Stalkers.' Over 150 aircraft were mobilized for the operation, which unfolded from air, land, and sea. It is suggested that President Maduro's whereabouts, publicly disclosed on state media and social media just before his arrest while he was meeting...

US President Donald Trump announced on the 3rd that military operations against Venezuela had been "successfully completed," revealing on his social media that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been apprehended and taken out of Venezuela. The Trump administration claimed the Maduro regime was involved in drug trafficking and sending criminals to the United States. It explained that the operation was carried out to execute an arrest warrant for President Maduro, issued in the U.S., and to protect U.S. national security. Secretary of State Rubio also stated that President Maduro would face trial in the U.S. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government strongly condemned the U.S. action as an "invasion" aimed at seizing the country's abundant oil resources. This unilateral military action and the detention of a head of state have caused significant repercussions in the international community, with many countries and experts raising concerns about "acts of agg...