After US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that Nicolas Maduro would be tried in the United States and that there would be no more attacks on Venezuela, Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab said he held the US government responsible for anything that might happen to the head of state and his wife Cilia Flores, who were airlifted out of the country in a military airstrike.
“As Attorney General of the Republic and President of the Civil Authority, I demand not only proof that our Commander-in-Chief and Head of State Nicolás Maduro Moros is alive, as well as his wife, our sister, the first fighter Cilia Flores, but I also hold the government of the United States of America directly responsible for any circumstance that might befall our president and leader of the Bolivarian Revolution,“ Saab said in a telephone interview with the state television channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
„I categorically condemn the vile and cowardly attack by the imperial enemy carried out in the early hours of the morning against innocent civilians in our country. This act shows that everything that our Commander-in-Chief and President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro Moros, warned about, regarding what initially seemed like an imperial threat, has now become a bloody reality, with innocent victims mortally wounded and others killed.“
Diosdado Cabello, Minister of the Interior, makes his first public appearance since the attacks in Venezuela and calls for calm among the people
„This criminal terrorist attack was carried out cowardly, with prior preparation and malice, using the cover of darkness to try to defile the people of Venezuela“, he said.
„I call for the constant vigilance of our people and all officials throughout Venezuela, in all prosecutors' offices of the country to condemn and speak out against these massive human rights violations that are happening today in front of the eyes of the whole world.“
In Colombia, several presidential candidates reacted on their social media accounts to the capture of Maduro and his wife.
One of the first to comment was Vicky Davila, who stated on her X account: “The restoration of democracy and freedom in Venezuela is great news for the Venezuelan people, but also for Colombia and the entire region.“
She added: “This will be the basis for the recovery of Venezuela, a great economic opportunity and a boost to security, because the fight against crime will be a joint effort between the two countries: Colombia with its new government, the government of the brave, and with Edmundo González and María Corina Machado.“
On the other hand, candidate Ivan Cepeda confirmed that these military actions by the United States are a serious and flagrant act of aggression against a sovereign nation and a direct threat to regional peace.
“I categorically reject this aggression, which could escalate and lead to a transnational armed conflict. I fully support President Petro's call for an urgent convening of the UN Security Council and the activation of all channels to stop this armed aggression and preserve peace in the region,“ he stated.