U.S. Attorney General Says Maduro To Face Trial In U.S. Soon

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Saturday morning that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will "soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts" after he was captured and flown out of the oil-rich South American nation.

"Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York," Bondi wrote on social media X. She said Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.

U.S. Republican Senator Mike Lee said on X early Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told him by phone that Maduro was arrested and will "stand trial on criminal charges in the United States."

"This action likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack," Lee said.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced early Saturday morning that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of Venezuela amid the U.S. military's large-scale strike against the country.

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on state-run television that the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife were unknown, calling on Trump to provide proof of life.

For months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as an attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.
-XINHUA