India, Jan. 3 -- In a move that has stunned Latin America, the United States claims it has captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flown him out of the country after a swift military operation in Caracas. President Donald Trump confirmed the arrest, calling it a decisive strike against what Washington views as a criminal regime.

The operation marks the most dramatic US intervention in South America in decades. It also revives memories of another January 3, when American troops removed Panama's strongman, Manuel Noriega, 36 years ago.

Early Saturday morning, explosions and military activity were reported across Caracas. Within hours, President Trump announced that US forces had "captured" Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flore...