A video from 2024 of angry protesters tearing down posters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is viral with false claims of locals celebrating his capture by America.
In a brazen military operation, on January 3, 2026, US forces captured Maduro allegedly from his home in the country's capital Caracas. A photo of a blindfolded and handcuffed Maduro aboard a US warship stunned global leaders, many terming it a kidnapping. The call was repeated on Monday by Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at a federal court in Manhattan. US President Donald Trump has since declared that US will "run" Venezuela even as the country called the move "criminal military aggression".
The Claim
A verified X user shared the video with the caption, "Democracy arrived. Posters of Maduro are being torn down to the cheers of local residents following his arrest by the U.S. Delta Force".
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
What We Found: Viral Video From 2024
1. Old Video: A related keyword search on X led us to a post from July 30, 2024, showing the same visuals of protesters tearing down Maduro's posters.
Venezuela-based news outlet Monitoreamos published the same video in a report about protests against alleged fraud in the then recently concluded elections. According to the report, posters in support of Maduro were pulled down at the Aragua Air Base.
Click here to view the post.
2. Protests in Venezuela
A further search led us to a Reuters report from July 31, 2024, about nationwide protests in Venezuela following Maduro's win in the elections with the opposition and its supported alleging fraud.
Additionally, multiple media reports indicate that locals did not celebrate Maduro's capture fearing retaliation his supporters in the government.