A United States senator, Mike Lee, has claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel and taken into custody to face criminal charges in the United States.
Lee made the claim on Saturday in a post on X, saying he had spoken directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio following what he described as “kinetic action” earlier in the evening.
According to Lee, Rubio informed him that the military operation was carried out to execute an arrest warrant against Maduro.
“He informed me that Nicolas Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant,” Lee wrote.
The senator added that the action “likely” fell within the inherent authority of Donald Trump under Article II of the U.S. Constitution to protect American personnel from actual or imminent attack.
Lee further stated that Rubio had indicated no additional military action was expected in Venezuela following Maduro’s arrest.
“He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody,” Lee said.
His comments came shortly after President Trump announced that the United States had “successfully” carried out what he described as a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela.
Trump also claimed that Maduro and his wife had been “captured and flown out of the country,” though no official statement confirming the arrest has yet been issued by the U.S. government.