Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, sustained injuries in the operation that ended with their capture in Venezuela, according to a new report.
Citing two sources familiar with the matter, NBC News detailed that the two appeared to bump into the wall or door of the same room within their compound. The injuries took place before U.S. forces came into contact with them, the report added. Flores could be seen with bruises on her face in her first public appearance after her capture.
Maduro and Flores received a medical evaluation aboard the plane that took them north of New York City.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the operation in more detail this week, saying that nearly 200 American troops entered central Caracas during the raid, openly questioning the effectiveness of Russian-made air defense systems used by Venezuela.
Speaking during a visit to the Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, Hegseth praised the raid that led to Maduro's arrest and transfer to U.S. federal custody. "Nearly 200 of our greatest Americans went downtown in Caracas," Hegseth said. "Seems those Russian air defenses didn't quite work so well, did they?"
Hegseth added that the operation was carried out without any U.S. casualties and described it as a demonstration of American military capability. He credited the troops involved with "guts, grit, gallantry, and glory," and said the mission was intended to send a signal to U.S. adversaries, including Russia. NBC News reported, however, that at least seven U.S. service members were injured in the operation. One of them suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the legs.
Maduro, who governed Venezuela since 2013, faces U.S. charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. He has denied the accusations, calling them politically motivated and arguing that the case is a pretext for U.S. efforts to gain influence over Venezuela's oil resources. He and Flores pleaded not guilty during their initial court appearance in New York.
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