24 hours of Maduro's imprisonment: see the timeline of the Venezuelan dictator's capture. | Find a Way

24 hours of Maduro's imprisonment: see the timeline of the Venezuelan dictator's capture.

The US action was carefully planned for months, with detained rehearsals for a highly complex military operation

By 

Matthews Martins

 on January 5, 2026

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima as posted by President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Saturday.

More than 24 hours have passed since the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by the United States, governed by President Donald Trump. The capture took place around 3 am this Saturday (3) and, since then, has already generated geopolitical movements around the world.

The surprising US action was the result of months of planning and detailed rehearsals for one of the country's most complex military operations.

Currently, the Venezuelan is in U.S. custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. According to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, he will be tried based on an indictment from the Southern District of New York, which includes charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

See the timeline of the capture this Saturday, Maduro's transport to the US, up to the moment the dictator arrived at the detention center.

2:50 AM: Reports of Explosions

Residents of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, reported tremors, aircraft noise, and people running in the streets in the middle of the night. At least seven explosions were heard in the city within a 30-minute period. Parts of the city were left without power.

According to a Venezuelan official interviewed by The New York Times, at least 80 people were killed during the American offensive. The official number of dead or wounded has not been released.

3:00 AM: The Capture

American troops arrive at the compound where Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were located. The operation was led by Delta Force, an elite special operations unit of the United States Army.

The unit is one of the main special mission units of the US Armed Forces, specializing in counterterrorism, hostage rescue, direct action, and special reconnaissance — often against high-value targets.

Donald Trump even stated that the residence was a kind of very well-protected fortress and that the Venezuelan leader tried to reach a safe room, but was surprised by the military. The action took place while Maduro and his wife were sleeping, CNN reported.

The CIA, the American intelligence agency, had a small team in Venezuela since August that was able to provide information about Maduro's standard of living, which made his capture easier, according to sources from CNN and Reuters.

Map shows locations attacked by the United States in Venezuela during the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro. • Avery Schmitz, Thomas Bordeaux, Isaac Yee, Allegra Goodwin, Rosa de Acosta, Henrik Pettersson and Soph Warnes. Credit: CNN / Rafael Saldanha

3:20 PM: Maduro's withdrawal

Within minutes of the capture, Maduro and his wife were already out to sea in a U.S. Army helicopter. They were taken to the military ship USS Iwo Jima, which had already been in the Caribbean for months.

The USS Iwo Jima is a ship specialized in helicopter landing that transported a group of Marines to the Caribbean region during U.S. counternarcotics operations.

6:21 AM: Trump confirms capture

Early in the morning, Trump announced Maduro's capture. He wrote on his social network, Truth Social: "The United States of America successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, captured, along with his wife, and taken out of the country by air."

6:40 AM: Venezuela confirms attack

Shortly after the U.S. president's announcement, Venezuela's state TV made a statement, calling the event a serious international aggression. According to the statement, the act "constitutes a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of States and the prohibition of the use of force."

"The objective of this attack is none other than to confiscate Venezuela's strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the nation's political independence by force."

1:23 PM: Trump releases the photo of imprisoned Maduro

Donald Trump releases the first image of Venezuela's dictator after being captured. In the photo, also published on Truth Social, Maduro appears blindfolded, with headphones on and apparently handcuffed.

The photo was published hours after the Venezuelan leader's withdrawal from his country and, until this moment, Maduro's exact location was not known.

Maduro captured by the US.  Credit: Donald Trump via Truth Social

1:40 PM: "U.S. will govern Venezuela"

In an official statement, Trump said that the United States will govern Venezuela immediately after the capture. The statement was made during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

 "We will govern the country until we can make a safe, adequate and sensible transition. We don't want someone else to take power and the situation to repeat itself for many years. Therefore, we are going to govern the country." — Donald Trump, President of the United States

The U.S. president also stated that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado does not have the respective necessary to govern Venezuela. Trump said he had not been in contact with Corina and praised the leader as a sympathetic woman, but said he believed she would have difficulty governing because she did not have the support of Venezuelans.

Analysis: What is the legality of the U.S. operation in Venezuela?

3:00 PM: "Maduro is the only president", says vice president

In a speech on state television in Caracas, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said that Nicolás Maduro is the country's only president and called the capture a "kidnapping" promoted by the United States.

She called for calm and unity to defend the country in the midst of Maduro's "kidnapping" and said that Venezuela will never be a colony of any nation. According to Rodríguez, the government has convened a special defense council, bringing together all the powers of the Venezuelan state, to respond to the attack on the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Late on Saturday, the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered the vice president to take over as the country's interim president in the absence of Nicolás Maduro. The court decision determined that Rodríguez would assume "the position of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the integral defense of the Nation."

6:40 PM: Maduro arrives in the U.S.

Hours after his capture, the Venezuelan dictator arrives in the United States. The military aircraft carrying him landed at Stewart National Guard Air Force Base in New York.

Maduro was later seen disembarking escorted by more than a dozen black-clad federal agents. The Venezuelan was handcuffed and wearing gray clothes.

He was registered with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), Manhattan's drug enforcement agency. He also had his fingerprints taken and a photo taken. His wife, Cilia, is believed to have undergone the same procedure.

11:00 PM: Detention Center

Maduro was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he is at this time. Several figures involved in high-profile federal cases, such as Sean "Diddy" Combs, have already been detained there.

The dictator is due to appear in federal court in Manhattan next week to answer charges of drug trafficking and illegal possession of weapons.

No U.S. service members have died during Maduro's capture, though CNN reported that "some soldiers have suffered gunshot wounds and shrapnel, but none are life-threatening," according to a source briefed on the matter.

What is the prison where Maduro was taken after being captured by the US like?

Global impact

The capture of Maduro by the US generated demonstrations from several countries around the world, both condemning and supporting the US military operation.

The President of the Republic Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva repudiated the attack. On social media, Lula said that the North American country committed a "very serious affront" and crossed an "unacceptable line."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Saturday (3) that the United States' action contravened the principles of international law. Barrot said France reiterates that no lasting political solution can be imposed from outside and that only sovereign peoples can decide their own future.

North Korea has denounced the U.S. attacks on Venezuela, saying it is "the most serious form of violation of sovereignty," state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday.

On the other hand, Argentine President Javier Milei celebrated Maduro's arrest, posting on social network X: "Freedom advances." In addition, the governments of Ecuador and Argentina announced that they will prohibit the entry of people linked to the Nicolás Maduro regime into their respective territories.

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday (5) at 12 noon on the U.S. operation against Venezuela, the presidency of the Council said on Saturday.