French President Emmanuel Macron stated between 9:45 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. UTC on January 3, 2026, that he fully supports Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's call for the release and protection of political prisoners from the Nicolás Maduro regime, pledging France's support for a peaceful, democratic transition respecting Venezuela's sovereign will, according to his X post. Macron said he had just spoken with Machado and emphasized that she can count on France's backing to raise her voice for the transition. This statement follows the U.S. capture of Maduro and his wife in a raid near Caracas last night, with the pair transported toward New York on a Department of Justice Boeing 757 approaching Stewart International Airport earlier this evening, per prior OSINT reports. Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in Bogotá, Colombia, to celebrate Maduro's capture at this moment, according to X user jesusmedinae in a post during the 29-minute window ending at 10:15 p.m. UTC. OSINT account trbrtc shared a satellite image from vantortech confirming U.S. forces destroyed the suspected entrance to an underground bunker at Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas at coordinates 10.4398701, -66.9063259, with the timing unclear relative to the raid, as posted by GeoConfirmed.
