Guyana’s President convenes security chiefs over Venezuela situation

President Irfaan Ali convened an early-morning meeting on Saturday with the Defence Board, the national security apparatus, regional commanders and other senior security officials to address the ongoing situation in Venezuela, his office said.

President Donald Trump says the US has carried out a “large scale strike against Venezuela” and “captured its leader, President Nicolas Maduro” and his wife.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez says the government does not know the whereabouts of President Maduro or the First Lady Cilia Flores.

She added that the government demanded “immediate proof of life” for them both.

Maduro was captured by the US army’s Delta Force, officials tell the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Delta Force is the US military’s top counter terrorism unit.

The US has long accused Nicolás Maduro of leading an international drug trafficking organisation, something that Maduro denies.

Trump did not give more detail about how Maduro was captured or where he has been taken.

The Venezuelan government have not yet confirmed this.

The US had offered a $50m reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro.

That, along with the huge military build-up in the region over the last few months, were interpreted in the region as encouragement for someone inside the country to turn against him.