Venezuelans Worldwide Celebrate Capture of President Maduro by U.S. Forces

Venezuelans across the globe are celebrating the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, with jubilant crowds gathering in cities from Latin America to Europe and the United States.

The capture of Maduro, who faces drug and weapons charges in the U.S., has sparked widespread joy among a diaspora of over eight million people who fled years of economic collapse, violence, and shortages under his rule. Many expressed hope for a new beginning, describing the moment as the fall of a dictatorship.

One celebrant in Chile stated, “We are free and happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we will have a free country.” In Doral, Florida, another Venezuelan said the event brought justice for those forced to leave, adding a desire to return home and rebuild.

The operation, which involved explosions and military activity in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, was described by U.S. President Donald Trump as a “brilliant operation” carried out by elite troops. The capture marks a dramatic turn for a nation with the world’s largest oil reserves but plagued by a severe humanitarian and political crisis.