politics
January 3, 2026
Maduro abduction coincides with anniversary of Noriega raid in Panama
President Donald Trump‘s administration apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on the anniversary of another U.S. raid against a South American strongman with striking parallels.
TL;DR
- US forces apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a special operation.
- The operation is compared to the 1990 capture of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
- Maduro faces charges including narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons violations.
- Noriega was deposed by the George H.W. Bush administration, spent over 20 years in US custody, and later served sentences in France and Panama.
- The operation against Maduro involved elite Delta Force units and lasted approximately one hour.
Continue reading the original article