Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández told The Associated Press that Nicolás #Maduro & his wife were at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military installation when they were captured.
“That’s where they bombed,” he said. “And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president & the first lady of the country.”
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#EU foreign policy chief #KajaKallas wrote on X that she had spoken with #US Secy of State #MarcoRubio & the EU ambassador in Caracas. “The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr #Maduro lacks legitimacy & has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of #InternationalLaw & the #UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint.”
Meaningless ⤴︎
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings
#Spain PM #PedroSánchez called for “de-escalation & responsibility. #InternationalLaw & the principles of the #UnitedNations Charter must be respected,” Sánchez wrote on X.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy
#Russia Foreign Ministry said it is “extremely alarmed” & called for “immediate clarification,” acc/to a statement posted Saturday on the ministry’s Telegram channel. The ministry said such actions, if confirmed, would constitute “an unacceptable infringement on the #sovereignty of an #independent #state.”
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#Britain PM #KeirStarmer said the #UK was not involved in the #US operation in #Venezuela and that he would seek more information from #Trump. Without condemning the US action, #Starmer said he always believes that #InternationalLaw should be upheld. “But I think at this stage, fast moving situation, let’s establish the facts & take it from there,” he said.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy
#China strongly condemned the #US strike in #Venezuela & the action against its president, the Foreign Ministry said, adding the Beijing govt was “deeply shocked” & firmly opposed to the operation.
“Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate #InternationalLaw & Venezuela’s #sovereignty & threaten #peace & #security in #LatinAmerica & the #Caribbean region,” it said.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy
#China called on the #US to comply with #InternationalLaw & the principles of the #UN Charter, urging it to stop violating the #sovereignty & #security of other nations.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
The #UnitedNations said it was “deeply alarmed” by the #US strikes in #Venezuela & the reported detention of President Nicolás #Maduro. It expressed concern the escalation was a violation of #InternationalLaw.
“These developments constitute a
dangerous precedent,” Stéphane Dujarric, spox for the #UN sec-gen, said. Dujarric said the UN worried about the implications for #LatinAmerica & the #Caribbean & called on “all actors in Venezuela” to respect #HumanRights & the rule of #law.
#US #DOJ released a new #indictment of #Maduro & wife
Maduro & other #Venezuela ofcls were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges. The DOJ released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro & his wife for alleged role in #narcoterrorism #conspiracy.
#PamBondi said Maduro & his wife, Cilia Flores, would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
#law #Congress #WarPowers #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #InternationalLaw
The #MaduroIndictment [for which the #US has no authority]
The #indictment accuses #Maduro of leading a “a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect & promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.” #DOJ alleges that the drug trafficking efforts “enriched & entrenched Venezuela’s political & military elite.”
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#US #DOJ alleges that #Maduro partnered with “some of the most violent & prolific drug traffickers & narco-terrorists in the world” to bring “tons” of cocaine into the US, acc/to the #indictment.
The DOJ estimates that as much as 250 tons of cocaine were trafficked through #Venezuela by 2020 [start date?], acc/to the indictment.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #MaduroIndictment #oil #LandGrab #InternationalLaw
The #Venezuela mission to the #UN has requested an emergency #Security Council [#UNSC] meeting & has asked the Council to condemn the #US military strikes against the country.
Venezuela’s ambassador, Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta, said in a letter to the UNSC president: “The United States of America always uses lies to fabricate wars. It is an international #tyranny imposed with the #propaganda of death: the recent past confirms this.”
#MaríaCorinaMachado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, posted a statement calling for national unity following the capture of Nicolás #Maduro.
“Given his refusal to accept a negotiated exit, the government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law,” she wrote. “We have struggled for years, we have given it our all, & it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”
Her support is unsurprising.
#Machado added that #EdmundoGonzález, who the #US has recognized as Venezuela’s President-elect, must “immediately” take office & be recognized as the country’s commander of the armed forces.
“Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate & take power,” Machado said. “We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, & bring our children back home.”
#law #Congress #WarPowers #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw
Sick
#Trump posted a photo on social media showing #Maduro wearing a sweatsuit & a blindfold with the caption: “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.”
Maduro appeared to be wearing a flotation device around his neck. Next to him was someone wearing a jacket that had a DEA logo.
Maduro also had protective headphones on his ears & appeared to be lifting a water bottle with both arms to drink
#law #Congress #WarPowers #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw
This picture violates #InternationalLaw. It is illegal to use pictures of prisoners for #propaganda.
#GenevaConventions #law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #Maduro #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes
“We are going to run the country,” #Trump said of #Venezuela. He said he did not want the #Maduro regime to continue with another leader.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#Trump put no time limit on the #US #occupation. It would be up to the #UnitedStates to decide when to return the country to Venezulan control. And then he turned to #oil, saying that US companies would fix the infrastructure, “& start making money for the country.” [doubt any will go to Venezuelans]
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#Trump referred to a “partnership” between #Venezuela & the #UnitedStates, which he said would make Venezuelans “rich, independent & safe.” Of course, this was a partnership accomplished by a #GovernmentOverthrow.
BTWs Trump’s asides about #DC, #NOLA, & #LA are total bullshit. No murder in NOLA & DC since his illegal intervention? Flat out lies.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
Now he’s back to insane asylums sending mental patients to the #US.
The man does not know the difference between “seeking asylum” & an “insane asylum”. #Trump is such a fucking moron.
#law #immigration #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#Trump has offered NO details about what the #US running #Venezuela looks like. Will there be an US official there in a leadership position?
As he justifies the #military operation, Trump argued that #Maduro sent members of Tren de Aragua to the US to terrorize the US. Trump’s own #intelligence community earlier this year debunked that claim, finding that the gang was not controlled by the Venezuelan govt.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #InternationalLaw
In declaring that the #US will be “running” #Venezuela, #Trump has raised a host of questions: Will the US have an occupying #military force? Will it install a pliant government for some number of years? Will it run the #courts, & determine who pumps the #oil? All of this, of course, could enmesh the US in the kind of “forever wars” Trump’s #MAGA base has rejected.
Trump spoke about bringing in US oil companies to remake the #energy infrastucture &, presumably, to exploit oil reserves.
When asked how much running #Venezuela, potentially for years, will cost, #Trump said: “It won’t cost us anything.”
His claim that the #US won’t have to spend any money because it will be “reimbursed” by the #oil the US will take “out of the ground” is a total fantasy.
This will cost the US billions.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
The news conference is over. Despite multiple questions about how #Venezuela will be run, no details were provided.
#Trump repeatedly said “we’re gonna do” this & “we’re gonna do” that, but never gave info about HOW.
There were vague allusions to #MarcoRubio & Pete #Hegseth & a “group” but no specifics.
This is nuts.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #oil #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#Trump also completely dismissed the idea of working with opposition leader & #NobelPeacePrize winner #MaríaCorinaMachado who actually won the last presidential #election in #Venezuela. Instead he said #MarcoRubio was in contact with Maduro’s VP #DelcyRodríguez. If this was even slightly about #Maduro being an illegitimate president, Rodríguez would also be illegitimate. This is so transparently about #oil it’s ridiculous.
#law #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw
Trump’s suggestion that Maduro’s VP, #DelcyRodríguez, would help the #US run the country literally came as #Venezuela state TV was playing a clip of her denouncing the US #military operation.
“Faced with this brutal situation & this brutal attack, we do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás #Maduro & first lady Cilia Flores,” Rodríguez said. “We demand immediate proof of life for President Maduro & the first lady from the government of President Donald #Trump.”
#Trump spoke more about #oil than anything else. I don’t think I even heard him mention #democracy a single time. He vowed to fix #Venezuela’s oil infrastructure & said the #US plans to sell it to other countries [again, how is this legal?].
“We’re in the oil business. We’re going to sell it to them,” Trump said. he said oil companies will pay for the rebuilding of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, & the wealth will pour in.
#law #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #theft #piracy
Secy of #State #MarcoRubio said the “capture” of President #Maduro & his wife from #Venezuela was a “law enforcement” operation as a rationale for not going to #Congress, yet #Trump said the #US will now run the country & said “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” neither of which would be the result of a #LawEnforcement action.
Also AG #PamBondi was not included in the news conference announcing what would absolutely be the most significant #prosecution of her career.
Conflicting reports
Um… The VP of #Venezuela #DelcyRodriguez is currently in #Russia, 4 sources familiar with her movements said Saturday, after #Trump said #Maduro had been seized by US forces after an attack on the country & US Secy of #State #MarcoRubio was in contact with her & that she had been sworn in to the presidency.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-vice-president-rodriguez-russia-four-sources-say-2026-01-03/
Conflicting reports.
#Rodríguez addresses the nation [apparently in #Venezuela]
In a televised address to the nation that lasted less than 15 minutes, #DelcyRodríguez demanded the #US free #Maduro & calls him the country’s rightful leader, but left open the door for dialogue with the US.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
https://apnews.com/live/trump-us-venezuela-updates-01-03-2026#0000019b-8547-d3eb-adff-f7df5a480000
#Venezuela VP #DelcyRodríguez, speaking on state television in Spanish, reiterated calls for the release of #Maduro & his wife.
She called for calm & unity to defend the country amid Maduro's "kidnapping" & said Venezuela will never be the #colony of any nation.
Rodríguez spoke from #Caracas with her brother, national assembly head Jorge Rodríguez, interior minister Diosdado Cabello & the foreign & defense ministers.
#law #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/live-trump-says-us-has-captured-venezuela-president-maduro-2026-01-03/
#DelcyRodríguez was defiant as she spoke on live television. “If there is one thing that the Venezuelan people & this country are clear about,” she said, “it is that we will never again be slaves, that we will never again be a colony of any empire, whatever its nature.”
“There is only one president in this country, & his name is Nicolás #Maduro Moros,” Rodríguez said.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #InternationalLaw
#DelcyRodríguez, spoke flanked by powerful military officials & other key government leaders as she denounced the #UnitedStates’ actions. As she introduced each figure on live television, they nodded toward her in a show of deference as she demanded that #Maduro was the rightful president of #Venezuela. The display of force & unity undermined President Trump’s earlier comments that Washington would work with Rodríguez to run Venezuela.
#DelcyRodríguez added that #Venezuela was open to having a respectful relationship with the #Trump admin, but only within the framework of international & Venezuelan #law. “That is the only type of relationship I will accept, after they have attacked & militarily assaulted our beloved nation,” she said.
#Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
#DelcyRodríguez was sworn in as #Venezuela’s new president Saturday, but she repeatedly said that #Maduro was Venezuela’s “only president” & even the text on Venezuelan state TV labeled her as vice president. When she ended, the state broadcaster immediately said that Rodríguez was the VP who had just made clear that Maduro was Venezuela’s president.
#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
Nonilex
Miro Collas