Venezuelans come together to celebrate US strikes on Caracas in Florida, Miami, Santiago amid Nicolas Maduro's ‘capture'

Venezuelans came together in Florida, Miami, Santiago to celebrate United States' strikes on Caracas amid President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores' ‘capture’ by US on Saturday.

Many were seen singing and dancing in Miami while holding Venezuela's flags, according to NBC News.

In Florida's Doral, a group gathered outside the popular El Arepazo restaurant, cheering to celebrate the development. The site has long been a focal point for Venezuelans voicing opposition to injustices in their country over the decades.

Similarly, in Chile's Santiago, Venezuelans gathered to celebrate it by singing national anthem, chanting “Long Live Venezuela”.

‘History in the making’

According to Local 10, among those celebrating in Doral was a man named Edgar. He said he came to the United States at the age of 11 after being born and raised in Venezuela.

“This is history in the making. I mean, my chest, it feels like it’s gonna explode with joy because … I mean, before I was even born, there have been struggles that my family has been fighting for so many years before I was even here -- they have told me about it," Edgar stated.

He added that he had grown up hearing stories about a time when democracy existed and said he now felt hopeful about the possibility of seeing it return. Expressing deep emotion, he said that meant everything to him and described Venezuelans as good people, saying they were among the best he had ever known, while also addressing Americans directly.

US strikes on Venezuela

Explosions shook Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, as low-flying aircraft swept over the city. At least seven blasts were reported during the attack, which lasted less than 30 minutes, and appeared to target military infrastructure. Smoke was seen rising from a hangar at a Caracas military base, while another installation in the capital experienced a power outage, a report by AP noted.

The attack came after months of mounting pressure from the Trump administration, which has increased its naval presence off South America and, since early September, conducted deadly strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Just last week, the US carried out a CIA drone strike on Venezuelan soil at a docking area allegedly used by drug cartels.

Meanwhile, US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on X that both Maduro and Flores had been indicted in the Southern District of New York and “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts".

She added that Maduro faced charges of “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”

Maduro was indicted in March 2020, during Trump’s first term, but the indictment against Flores had not been made public until now.

Trump said that Maduro and his wife are aboard a US warship and will face prosecution in New York.