US forces capture Nicolás Maduro in an operation in Caracas

US forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the early hours of 3 January 2026, in a military operation in Caracas preceded by air strikes on several targets. President Donald Trump confirmed the operation and announced that Maduro would be tried in New York, where he had been charged since 2020 with narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation.

Venezuela’s government denounced an “imperialist attack,” and the UN Security Council held an emergency session, where both Washington’s allies and adversaries questioned the legality of the action.

The first hours were a textbook case of the challenges of real-time verification: videos of explosions of uncertain origin, recycled old footage, and contradictory accounts circulated widely before any official confirmation. Newsrooms that waited to cross-check footage with geolocation and on-the-ground sources avoided spreading the fabricated clips that went viral on social media.

Sources: US Department of Justice; USNI News; PBS NewsHour.