Washington, 3 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife face drugs charges and will "soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil," US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X on Saturday.

US forces "captured" Maduro and his wife earlier in the day, as they launched surprise airstrikes on multiple targets on Venezuelan territory.

The shock move by the United States represents an extraordinary attempt to remove the leadership in Venezuela after months of Washington ramping up pressure on Maduro's authoritarian government.

"Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States," Bondi wrote, saying the indictment was brought in New York.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that "Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government."

"Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization," he wrote.

Maduro is "under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States," Rubio wrote.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded that the US "immediately" provide a sign of life from the detained head of state. "We don't know where President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are," Rodríguez said.

Venezuelan soldiers and civilians were killed in the US airstrikes that targeted several locations in the country, Rodríguez said in a national address on state television.

According to media reports, the strikes were mainly directed against military bases, airfields, communication facilities and ports.

Several US senators, including a member of Trump's Republican Party, were quick to criticize the attack on Venezuela.

"This war is illegal, it's embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year," Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, posted on X. "There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela," he added.

Utah Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, posted: "I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force."

Photo: EPA