President Donald Trump released a video that claims to show large crowds of Venezuelans “celebrating” the recent capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the US military. However, the footage is actually from 2024, according to a BBC fact-check.
The Republican leader shared the video on Monday, just two days following the US Army’s Delta Force operation in Caracas, from where they captured Maduro and his wife. The couple was then transported to New York City to face trial on narco-terrorism charges.
The video, which Trump shared on Truth Social, features a vast assembly of people gathered amidst buildings and palm trees. “Millions of Venezuelans are celebrating the news of the collapse of the Maduro regime,” the clip claims, garnering thousands of likes and millions of views.
Meanwhile, Alex Jones, a far-right influencer and the founder of InfoWars, also shared the video.
Video is from July 2024 anti-Maduro protest
However, the footage is actually 17 months old. According to Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist with BBC Verify, the video was recorded during a protest against Maduro in July 2024. The demonstrators hit the road after the presidential election in that month as the results were heavily contested.
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Trump’s capture of Maduro, wife
Trump’s unexpected capture of Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, follows an extensive campaign of pressure against the Maduro administration.
In recent months, the US military has conducted strikes on more than a dozen suspected drug vessels near the country, and it has gathered a fleet off the coast — the largest assembled in the region in decades. The administration has also approved CIA operations within Venezuela and permitted the confiscation of oil tankers leaving the nation.
Trump has accused Maduro of smuggling drugs into the US, a claim that Maduro refutes. In retaliation, he has asserted that the US is trying to create “a new eternal war” and seize Venezuela’s abundant oil reserves. Maduro made his first court appearance in New York City on Monday.