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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been arrested by U.S. personnel and will stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, U.S. officials confirmed on Saturday, 3 January 2026, following pre-dawn military strikes in Venezuela.

U.S. Senator Mike Lee said the “kinetic action” observed overnight in Caracas and surrounding states was conducted to protect those executing the arrest warrant. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lee wrote:

“(Rubio) informed me that Nicolas Maduro has been arrested by US personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.”