Many world leaders whined Saturday over the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, claiming the clandestine US mission was an unnecessary use of force — despite a legal precedent for it.
Allies Russia, Iran, China and Colombia were among the nations lining up Saturday to demand the Trump administration release Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, who were headed to New York City to face federal charges of narcoterrorism.
NEW: Woman whose older brother was k*lled in Venezuela starts bawling, thanks President Trump for capturing Nicolás Maduro.
“So many years waiting for this,” she said in Miami, Florida.
“We’ve been here eight years now because they k*lled our older brother… they kidnapped my… pic.twitter.com/ABOpyxCPEr
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 3, 2026
Trump’s toppling of Maduro is fraught with risk – what happens next is unclear
The US may want many of its foes gone from power. It doesn’t usually send in the military and physically remove them.
Venezuela’s abrupt awakening took two forms.
Its residents were woken abruptly to the sound of deafening booms: the sound of its capital Caracas under attack from US strikes targeting military infrastructure.
Which world leaders have been captured by US previously
The reported capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has placed him among a small and controversial group of world leaders seized by the United States, reviving memories of past U.S. intervention that reshaped entire regions.
With his capture, Maduro would join figures such as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Panama’s Manuel Noriega, whose arrests marked defining moments in US foreign policy.
It can’t be a coincidence that Trump captured Maduro while a Chinese delegation was still in Venezuela to meet with him.
Trump is making a clear statement.
He’s going after the cabal’s controlled puppets, the “paper tigers”.
Imagine all the military ops we never hear about. pic.twitter.com/fsmg4diZmk
— Kab (@Kabamur_Taygeta) January 3, 2026
Maduro Perp Walk
Maduro perp walk. pic.twitter.com/e1Maaun5EK
— Paul Mauro (@PaulDMauro) January 4, 2026
h/t Mauser
