Venezuelan Army forces arrested numerous individuals on streets leading to important buildings in Caracas between 10:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. UTC on January 3, 2026, following the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro earlier today, according to an X post by kamilgorgulu1. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the regime's second-in-command, was confirmed alive in the same period, per another post by kamilgorgulu1. A video geolocated to coordinates near Maduro's compound and bunker at 10.4414990, -66.9059470 showed a helicopter landing, identified as a likely U.S. Special Forces landing zone behind Fuerte Tiuna military base, according to X user COUPSURE. Reports noted Venezuelan air defenses including MANPADS, S-125s, Buk-M2EKs, and S-300VMs failed to prevent U.S. Blackhawks and Chinooks overflying the capital, per X user T_55AM1_. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas stated she spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the U.S. Ambassador in Caracas, noting the EU's monitoring of the situation, Maduro's lack of legitimacy, calls for restraint under international law, and prioritization of EU citizens' safety, according to her X post. Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the U.S. action as an unprovoked illegal attack for Venezuelan resources, per his X statement. Russian Eurasianist Alexander Dugin warned China of risks if Venezuela falls, citing Russia's Ukraine involvement, via X user kamilgorgulu1. These developments follow U.S. officials' confirmation of Maduro's arrest in Caracas earlier this morning for trial in the United States, as reported in prior updates.
