Donald Trump has released the first photograph of Nicolas Maduro following his arrest. In the image, the Venezuelan president appears blindfolded, with his hands bound.

Maduro is shown aboard the US aircraft carrier Iwo Jima, wearing a gray tracksuit, with both his eyes and ears covered. His hands are tied, and he appears to be struggling to hold a bottle of water.

According to reports, Maduro is being transferred to Guantánamo.

Photo also released by a Venezuelan outlet

Earlier, a purported photo of Nicolás Maduro following the arrest of both him and his wife by US Delta Force personnel was published by a Venezuelan media outlet.

Specifically, WRadio released an image showing the Venezuelan president inside a military aircraft, wearing handcuffs.

Taken out of the country

In a post on Truth Social, the US president announced that the Venezuelan leader was together with his wife and that both were transported out of the country.

Maduro and his wife were arrested early Saturday morning by members of Delta Force, the US Army’s elite special operations unit, according to information provided to CBS News by American officials.

The Delta Force unit was also responsible for the 2019 operation that led to the death of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

It is recalled that Maduro has been wanted by US authorities since 2020 on charges related to large-scale drug trafficking into the United States.

Trump’s statement:

“The United States of America successfully carried out a large-scale operation against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who, together with his wife, was arrested and airlifted out of the country. This operation was conducted in cooperation with US law enforcement authorities. Further details will follow. Today at 11 a.m., a press conference will be held at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”