Donald Trump has shared a photograph of a man who appears to be Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, hours after the United States launched a military strike on Venezuela. The image, posted on the social media platform Truth Social, was accompanied with the caption « Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima » and was posted from the US President’s account.
The man, claimed by the President to be Mr Maduro, can be seen wearing a dark cover over his eyes and headphones on his ears. The US launched an attack on the country, following months of rising tensions between the two nations. A daring raid was carried out by United States Special Operations forces, including the unit involved in the killing of al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been captured in Caracas and are being taken to the US, American officials said. They have been indicted in New York for drug and gun offenses.
Mr Trump released the image online minutes before speaking at a press conference at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. During the conference he told the media « we are going to run the country » and said Mr Maduro and hiw sife would « face American justice ». Over the past months of tensions, Caracas had rejected allegations made against Mr Maduro and his government – including claims from the US that the Venezuelan leader is the head of a « narco-terrorist cartel ».
In a separate post on social media, the US President shared a 1 minute 24 second video, which appeared to be a montage of clips of the military strikes which shook the country early Saturday morning. The montage of footage was accompanied by a song of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s « Fortunate Son, » initially an antiwar song from the Vietnam war about how the children of the wealthy avoided the draft.
Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, applauded the US military strikes which have seen the removal of the socialist Dictator, Nicolas Maduro saying: « We have fought for years, given everything, and it has been worth it ».
The operation in South America took place in the dead of night, and will now see the South American dictator face charges in a US court.
Speaking at the press conference on Saturday afternoon, Mr Trump said that the oil industry in Venezuela had gone « bust » as he claimed that the US companies will need to go in and « start making money for the country ». He also warned that the US was « ready » to launch a second, larger attack on the country that Mr Trump branded a « second wave ».
He thanked the armed forces for their « breathtaking speed, power, precision and competence », and claimed that no US servicemen were killed in the operation that brought Maurdo down. Mr Trump also announced that the Americans would « run » the country until « such a time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition » of power.
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