Nicolas Maduro could be flown to Moscow or Cuba after being "captured and flown out of Venezuela" by American forces, a security expert has told GB News.
After launching air strikes against the nation's capital of Caracas, Donald Trump confirmed the Venezuelan President had been taken into custody and flown out of the country.
Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, facing multiple charges.
The charges brought against the couple include:
- Narco-terrorism conspiracy;
- Cocaine importation conspiracy;
- Possession of machine guns and destructive devices; and
- Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.
The US President commended "a lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops and great people" in the wake of the dramatic bombing.
Joining GB News' Charlie Peters and Sophie Reaper, Professor Anthony Glees indicated a number of locations could be on the shortlist for where President Maduro could be flown as international speculation continues to prevail.
He said: "[The operation] could be hazardous for President Trump on the face of it. It looks good, let's be honest. He's got rid of President Maduro, who's alleged to be head of a narco terrorist state.
"Trump's been turning up the pressure on him for months now, and a lot of armed forces in the area. This massive aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford in the area, with more than 2,000 marines, 16,000 troops.
Nicolas Maduro; Anthony Glees
|GETTY/GB NEWS
"What he's done has been a dramatic strike, removing the president and his wife from Venezuela, taking them, who knows where.
"Maybe they'll end up in, in Cuba at the end of the day, or possibly even in in Moscow, guests with President Assad of Syria and others.
"Who knows?"
Insiders within Venezuelan opposition have told Sky News that Mr Maduro's capture was a "negotiated exit".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Mr Maduro's whereabouts is currently unknown
|GETTY
So far, Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has said that the Government is unaware of the President's location.
She has demanded "immediate proof of life".
In wake of the new charges, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said: "They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.
"On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers."
The US Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programmes defines narco-terrorism as "the involvement of terrorist organisations and insurgent groups in drug trafficking, [it] has become a problem with international implications."
Washington has claimed the boats targeted across the Pacific and Caribbean Sea are drug-smuggling vessels, with around 100 individuals being killed during the clashes.
Previously, America had accused Mr Maduro of being head of a "narco-state" and meddling with the 2024 election.
Early this morning, simmering tensions between the US and Venezuela led to a full-scale air strike on the nation's capital with at least seven explosions heard around 2am local time.
The South American Government declared a state of emergency shortly after.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter