US President Donald Trump has claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been detained after an attack in Venezuela. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has demanded "proof" that Maduro and his wife are alive.
"We demand from the administration of President Donald Trump to inform us that President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores are alive," he said in a speech on state TV VTV.
Earlier, US President Trump wrote on his social media account Truth Social, "The United States has successfully carried out a major attack on Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro. In the operation, Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country." However, he did not say whether they were alive or dead.
He added, "This operation was carried out in conjunction with US law enforcement agencies. More details will be announced later. A press conference will be held at Mar-a-Lago today at 11 a.m. local time."
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has announced the immediate deployment of military forces across the country.
In a video address in Spanish, he called for a united resistance from everyone in the country, calling the US attack "the worst aggression" against Venezuela.
The defense minister said that the Venezuelan military is following President Maduro's orders, adding, "They have attacked us but they will not be able to suppress us."
He also alleged that civilian areas were damaged in the attacks carried out in multiple locations in the city, adding that information on the number of people killed and injured in the US airstrikes is being collected.