President Donald Trump‘s administration apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on the anniversary of another U.S. raid against a South American strongman with striking parallels.
Trump announced Saturday morning that a special forces military operation “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela […] done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement” — culminating in the arrest of the dictator.
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Thirty-six years ago to the day, the U.S. military invaded and abducted the acting leader of Panama, military strongman General Manuel Noriega.
Noriega, a militaristic dictator who grew immensely powerful and wealthy in the region through narco-trafficking and arms dealing, was deposed by the George H.W. Bush administration in 1990.
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Approximately 24,000 troops descended upon Panama in December 1989, beginning a weekslong siege of the country that scattered the government and military officials.
Noriega was eventually forced to take shelter in the Holy See’s apostolic nunciature to Panama, where U.S. forces surrounded the perimeter and demanded his surrender. He offered himself without a further fight on Jan. 3.
The parallel dates were almost certainly a conscious decision by the White House, which has repeatedly compared Maduro to Noriega in statements leading up to the operation on Saturday.
Compared to Noriega, Maduro’s downfall happened in fast-forward.
The Army’s most elite unit, Delta Force, carried out the unprecedented operation, officials told CBS. Strikes against critical military and governmental targets were documented as early as 2 a.m. local time.
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At the same time, U.S. helicopters entered the airspace over Caracas, including a CH-47 Chinook believed to have transported the special forces personnel who captured Maduro.
The entire operation is believed to have lasted approximately one hour, and Trump stated he believes no U.S. servicemen were lost.
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It remains to be seen how Maduro will fare in the U.S. courts compared to his Panamanian forbearer. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, are being indicted in the Southern District of New York.
“Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced on Saturday via social media. “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
Noriega fought fiercely in U.S. courts to have himself categorized as a prisoner of war instead of as a normal criminal. He was eventually deemed a prisoner of war, which granted him certain privileges while in U.S. custody.
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He spent 20 years in American prison before being extradited to France to serve seven years on a money-laundering charge. From there, he was repatriated to Panama to serve a 60-year prison sentence for the violence, corruption, and organized crime carried out during his dictatorship.
Noriega died in 2017 from complications during a surgery to remove a benign brain tumor.