By Desire Emmanuel with Agency Reports
The United States has carried out a “large scale military strike” against Venezuela and captured its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump announced on social media on Saturday morning.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform early on Saturday, shortly after loud explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, marking a major escalation against the Latin American country.
Trump said that Maduro’s wife was also captured during the operation and both were “flown out of the country.”
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote.
The Venezuelan government has yet to issue a statement in response to Trump’s latest claim.
Earlier, it was reported that Maduro declared a national state of emergency in response to the attack, which the Venezuelan government described as a “military aggression”.
The government said the attacks occurred in the capital, Caracas, on Saturday as well as in the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. Venezuela also accused Washington of staging the assault in an attempt to seize Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources, pledging that such efforts will not succeed.
Explosions were heard and plumes of smoke were seen rising in Caracas early on Saturday following the attack.
Video footage obtained by Al Jazeera showed balls of fire and thick smoke coming from a structure next to a body of water in Caracas early on Saturday.
Quoting sources, Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, who is reporting from Santiago in Chile, said the explosion occurred near or around Fort Tiuna, the main military base in Caracas.
