Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro freed political prisoners after a bombing by U.S. forces under President Donald Trump on December 25, according to X user @ElGanadorHenry in a post during the nearly three-hour period from 5:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. UTC on Dec. 29. X user @EmmaRincon shared Primazol chemical company's official statement describing an explosion at its Maracaibo headquarters—the same day President Trump referenced an attack on Venezuelan territory—as "an accident," with the company confirming operations continue from other locations. The Primazol statement follows the company's earlier social media post confirming an incident at its Maracaibo site, as reported in the previous period ending at 5:15 a.m. UTC. This development comes after Trump administration officials confirmed to the New York Times that the U.S. destroyed a drug laboratory structure in Venezuela, according to X user @OrlvndoA's posts citing the article from earlier this morning, with the New York Times noting a possible CIA operation authorized months ago. The events link to prior reports of satellite-detected fires at Primazol warehouses in Zulia state's San Francisco municipality on Dec. 24 and U.S. Southern Command's Operation Southern Spear announced Dec. 28 targeting Caribbean networks.
