Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado declared on X during the 29-minute reporting window ending at 3:45 p.m. UTC on January 3, 2026, that 'Venezuelans, the time for freedom has arrived,' stating her team is prepared to assert their mandate and take power following the U.S. special operations capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas earlier today, according to her post and reports by X users Faytuks and OrlvndoA. Machado's announcement, shared directly via her X account @MariaCorinaYA, indicated an imminent speech as noted by OrlvndoA. This follows President Donald Trump's earlier statement assessing Machado for Venezuelan leadership, per previous reports citing Fox News during the prior window. The first official photo of Maduro detained and handcuffed circulated on X, posted by WalterVMG in the reporting window. Separately, X user Arr3ch0 reported Department of Justice/FBI aircraft N874TW arrived at Guantanamo Bay approximately 30 minutes ago and N119NA descending in Florida, per ADS-B tracking. Governors of several Venezuelan states released statements affirming they remain in control, with forces armed with 7.62x39mm AR-15 rifles, China-made Jianshe CS/LS7 submachine guns, 5.56mm AR-15 rifles, MP5A3 submachine guns, and AK-103 rifles, according to war_noir on X. The New York Times described President Trump's operation in Venezuela as illegal, per disclosetv on X. Venezuelan diplomats left their embassy in Bolivia for an unknown destination, taking the flag, as reported by TAMARA_SUJU on X.
