‘A warning for all US threats’

EYES covered as he clutches a water bottle, this extraordinary image sums up the downfall of Venezuela's leader.

- BY SIMON MURPHY

Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores were captured and taken to the US aboard the USS Iwo Jima warship after American forces bombed the capital, Caracas.

The raid by the US Army's Delta Force was ordered by President Donald Trump, who called it a “spectacular assault”.

He later shared the photo of Maduro on his way to the US, where he will face trial.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said: “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

But there was widespread concern about whether the US actions were lawful, and the precedent they set for other superpowers.

Writing for this paper, professor Michael Clarke - former head of military think-tank RUSI - said: “There is no obvious international legitimacy for what the Americans have done.”

He claimed: “Formally, the US has acted illegally in Venezuela.”

Concerns were further raised about Mr Trump's statement that the US government would take control of the oil-rich country.

Warning

In a press conference yesterday at his Florida resort, Mara-Lago, Mr Trump said: “We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”

He boasted: “[The] extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

Mr Trump's justification for the strikes, and the capture of Maduro, was an accusation of “narco-terrorism” due to his alleged links to the Cartel of the Suns drug gang in Venezuela.

He was indicted in the US in 2020 accused of aiding in the shipment of drugs.

Maduro, a bus driver who rose to become Venezuela's president, was taken to face criminal charges in New York.

But the legal authority for the attack - which echoed the 1990 US invasion of Panama which led to the surrender of leader Manuel Antonio Noriega - was called into question.