The dramatic arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, included an unexpected and embarrassing twist: both were injured while attempting to hide from U.S. special forces during the operation that led to their capture, according to officials briefed on the incident.
Trump administration officials described the injuries to lawmakers during a closed-door briefing on Monday, detailing how the couple miscalculated their escape inside a fortified Caracas compound during an early Saturday raid, according to the New York Post.
As U.S. forces closed in, Maduro and Flores tried to take cover behind a heavy steel door but struck their heads on a low door frame.
A source familiar with the briefing said the pair suffered “minor injuries related to their own actions,” adding that Flores reacted angrily after hitting her head, cursing in Spanish as the chaos unfolded.
The mishap was first reported by CNN, which noted that the couple underestimated the height of the door frame while scrambling to evade capture. Once the compound was secured, members of the Delta Force extracted Maduro and Flores and administered first aid on the scene.
Within days, the couple found themselves far from Caracas and standing before a judge in Manhattan federal court. On Monday, they made their first court appearance to face drug trafficking and weapons charges tied to long-running U.S. investigations.
During the hearing, Flores’s attorney told Judge Alvin Hellerstein that his client “sustained significant injuries” during the arrest. He said “she may have a fracture or a severe bruising on her ribs” and formally requested a medical exam and X-ray to assess the extent of her injuries.
Courtroom sketches from the proceedings depicted Flores with visible bandages on her head, underscoring the violent nature of the arrest.
The raid itself proved deadly beyond the injuries suffered by Maduro and his wife. Cuban officials claimed that 32 Cuban military and police personnel stationed in Venezuela were killed during the operation. Venezuelan officials later said at least 24 members of the country’s security forces died.
The Pentagon confirmed that seven U.S. service members were injured during the mission, though all injuries were described as minor. Five of those service members have already returned to duty, while two remain in recovery.
Following the operation, senior administration officials held an extensive briefing for congressional leaders.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe spent more than two hours detailing the raid for bipartisan leadership in both chambers, as well as top lawmakers overseeing intelligence, armed services, and foreign affairs.
The extraordinary sequence of events — from a high-risk overseas raid to a Manhattan courtroom — marked a stunning fall for Maduro and set the stage for a closely watched legal battle ahead.
