CNN reported on the 3rd that two sources said that Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were dragged from their bedroom during a raid by U.S. forces and subsequently arrested. The sources said the couple was caught while sleeping at night and are now planning to transport Maduro to New York to face charges at the Manhattan Federal Court. A U.S. official said that the raid, carried out by the elite Delta Force of the U.S. military, did not result in any casualties on the American side.
Multiple U.S. media outlets cited sources saying that the U.S. Delta Force special operations troops raided the presidential residence in Venezuela early in the morning, directly dragging the sleeping Maduro couple from their bedroom and arresting them. Trump later confirmed in an interview that Maduro was hiding in a "steel fortress-style house" with a solid steel structure safe room, but the speed of the raid prevented him from escaping to that area.
The detained Maduro couple was first transported by helicopter to the U.S. amphibious assault ship "Iwo Jima," and then planned to be taken to the New York Federal Court for trial.
Initially, the U.S. claimed the operation had "zero casualties," but Trump later admitted that "a U.S. soldier was shot and injured," although the specific injuries were not disclosed.
During this U.S. raid, the Venezuelan air defense system mysteriously failed.
Venezuela's Russian-made S-300 missiles and thousands of portable air defense weapons remained silent throughout, allowing U.S. MH-47/MH-60 helicopters to conduct a low-altitude attack as if unopposed, completing the arrest in 1 hour and 22 minutes. Multiple analyses point to internal betrayal or intelligence leaks:
The U.S. was reportedly informed in advance of the location and structure of the safe house;
Venezuelan Defense Minister Lopez's televised speech did not mention Maduro's whereabouts, leading to speculation that he might be a successor supported by the U.S.
This raid marked the end of Maduro's era in Venezuela.
U.S. captures Venezuelan president
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853313726957580/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.