'Still shaken': Trepidation in Venezuela after US captures Maduro

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — An anxious quiet fell over Venezuela 's capital on Sunday as trepidation mixed with joy while a nation waited to see what comes next.

People were slow to resume routines in Caracas after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in a dramatic U.S. military operation. Dozens of stores, restaurants and churches remained closed. Those on the streets looked shell-shocked, staring at their phones or into the distance.

“People are still shaken,” said 77-year-old David Leal, who arrived to work as a parking attendant but realized he likely would not have customers. He pointed to the deserted street, a few blocks from Venezuela’s presidential palace, which was guarded by armed civilians and military personnel.

Venezuela is no stranger to political tumult, but the dead-of-night U.S. military operation early Saturday marked a new chapter with no ready script.

U.S. President Donald Trump initially said the U.S. would “run” the country until there was stability, a remark that Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to walk back on Sunday.

Rubio insisted in interviews that Washington will use control of Venezuela’s oil industry to force policy changes, and called the government currently in place illegitimate. The country is home to the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves.

“We want to see Venezuela transition to be a place completely different than what it looks like today. But obviously, we don’t have the expectation that’s going to happen in the next 15 hours,” Rubio said.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, flanked by the high military command, told Venezuelans that Maduro was still the rightful leader. Presidential duties, however, now belong to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, whom the high court ordered to assume the role of interim president.

Rodríguez made no public comment Sunday.

Maduro's cadre of government officials demanded his release from custody in New York, where his first court appearance is set for Monday. State-controlled media did not air the images of him handcuffed on U.S. soil.

Venezuelans instead saw them on social media, and many could not believe their eyes.

“May God give us strength for what we are experiencing. I’m sad. He is a human being,” said Nely Gutiérrez, a retiree, as her eyes welled with tears. “They have him handcuffed, and if he is in the hands of the empire, no one can save him from there, only God, not even God. He will die there.”

Gutiérrez had walked to church only to find it closed. She said she would have prayed for peace in Venezuela and for Maduro. She declined to say whether she ever voted for him but said, “The word of God says love your enemy.”

In the U.S. and some Latin American countries, Maduro's ouster was celebrated.

In Venezuela, the scene was different, with some supporters burning U.S. flags and holding signs reading “Gringo go home."

Others muted any anti-Maduro feelings for now. Construction worker Daniel Medalla said people did not dare celebrate out of fear of government repression.

“We were longing for it,” Medalla, 66, said of Maduro’s exit.

Memories remain fresh of the government crackdown following the 2024 presidential election, which Maduro claimed to have won despite credible evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin. Protests left 28 people dead, 220 injured and at least 2,000 detained, according to official figures.

The presence of police and military personnel across Caracas on Sunday was notable for its smaller size compared with an average day. Soldiers attempted to clear an area of an air base that burned along with at least three passenger buses during the U.S. attack.

Rubio in interviews said no U.S. forces were on the ground in Venezuela but didn’t rule out further strikes there.

Wilman González picked through rubble and broken furniture coating the floor of his home in the coastal state of La Guaira on Sunday.

He was quiet, mourning everything he’d unexpectedly lost early Saturday morning when an American strike blew apart the wall of his apartment. The blast killed his sleeping 80-year-old aunt Rosa Elena González.

The family rushed her to the hospital, where medical staff scrambled to give her oxygen, but González said there was nothing they could do.

Venezuelan officials have said Saturday’s operation killed civilians and military personnel. But they have not given a toll, and the government’s press office has not responded to multiple requests.

Now, with stitches lining the corner of his blackened eye, González was left staring at the gaping hole in his wall.

“This is it, what we are left with: ruins,” he said.

González spoke with anger not just at all he’d lost, but also the compounding economic and political crises that Venezuela has endured for years, and a government that he said has stopped working for the people.

The government “can throw me in jail if they want, but I’m talking about the reality of the country we live in,” González said. “What we want is a government that is good for all Venezuelans, not just a few.”

Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Arraez reported from La Guaira, Venezuela.

Wilman Gonzalez shows an injury he says he suffered when his home was hit during U.S. military operations to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Jesus Linares, right, removes a painting of independence hero Simon Bolivar at his home, which he says was hit during U.S. military operations to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Government supporters demand President Nicolas Maduro's release from U.S. custody during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A government supporters displays a U.S. flag in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Residents look at a damaged apartment complex that neighbors say was hit during U.S. strikes to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Carmen Mejias sweeps in front of a damaged apartment complex that neighbors say was hit during U.S. strikes to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A pedestrian walks past a mural of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A soldier stands atop an armored vehicle on the highway leading from the international airport toward Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Shoppers line up at a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Jonathan Mayoral helps relatives clean up their apartment, which residents say was damaged during U.S. military operations to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)