Donald Trump Shares FIRST PHOTO Of Captured Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro On Board USS Iwo Jima

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social to share the first photo of 'captured' Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro aboard US warship USS Iwo Jima.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump had said that the Venezuelan President and his wife had been extracted by helicopter to a ship, and would be taken to New York to face federal charges.

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"They're on a ship but they'll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out," Trump told Fox News in a telephone interview.

The USS Iwo Jima is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship that essentially functions as a small aircraft carrier. It is named for the famous 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, where US Marines battled their way up Mount Suribachi and planted the flag, which became one of the most famous photographs ever taken.

US attacks Venezuela

At least seven explosions accompanied by low-flying aircraft were reportedly heard around 2 am (local time) Saturday in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. The attacks took place in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, the Venezuelan government said in a statement, as per Reuters.

According to a report by CNN, power outages were also reported in several neighbourhoods following the strikes.

Hours after the explosions, Donald Trump confirmed on Truth Social that the "US has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader." He also said that Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country.

Russia seeks 'immediate clarification'

Following Trump's announcement about Maduro's capture, Russian Foreign Ministry called for“immediate clarification” on the situation in Venezuela.

“We are extremely concerned by reports that Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were forcibly removed from the country during today's aggressive actions by the United States. We call for immediate clarification of this situation,” Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, as per CNN.

Russia had also expressed concern over the attacks by US, and condemned what it describe as an "act of armed aggression" against Venezuela.

What's next for Maduro?

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, accusing the pair of serious drug related crimes against the United States.

In a post on X, Bondi detailed that Maduro faces multiple charges, including Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.

Why US attacked Venezuela?

US' 'large scale strike' against Venezuela follows months of military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.

The US has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan leader of being one of the world's leading narco-traffickers – alleging that he worked with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.

In 2020, federal prosecutors claimed that Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials collaborated with the Colombian guerilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, to traffic cocaine and weapons to the United States.

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