Gunfire Erupts Near Venezuelan Presidential Palace Amid Post-Maduro Unrest
Caracas, January 6 – Intense gunfire echoed through the streets surrounding Venezuela’s Miraflores presidential palace late Monday, heightening tensions just days after former leader Nicolás Maduro was apprehended and transported to the United States.
Videos verified by CNN captured flashes in the night sky resembling drone lights and anti-aircraft tracer rounds. Witnesses reported the incident began around evening, with security forces apparently responding to unidentified aerial objects.
The outburst follows a high-stakes U.S. operation last week, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, in which Delta Force operatives and federal agents extracted Maduro and his wife from Caracas. Involving more than 150 aircraft from multiple bases, the mission aimed to bring Maduro to face U.S. charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking.
On Monday morning, Maduro, in handcuffs and escorted by agents, arrived by helicopter in New York City after a night in Brooklyn federal detention. He appeared in a Manhattan courthouse, where he entered a not guilty plea. His legal team vowed to contest the operation’s legitimacy.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the action as a professional law enforcement effort conducted in full compliance with American laws and protocols, emphasizing it was not a military invasion. President Trump initially stated the U.S. would oversee Venezuela’s affairs, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio later clarified that Washington has no plans to govern the nation directly and will instead impose sanctions on its oil industry.
The latest gunfire near the palace underscores ongoing instability in the capital as Venezuela navigates the aftermath of Maduro’s removal.