President Donald Trump on Saturday revealed that American forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large scale strike” on the South American country.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said on Truth Social, around two hours after explosions rocked Venezuela’s capital Caracas.

There was no confirmation from Venezuela’s government of the fate of the leftist Maduro, in power since 2013.

His government accused the United States of an “extremely serious military aggression” which follows a months-long campaign of increasing military and economic pressure by Trump.

In a dramatic night of fast-moving events, Caracas was rocked by explosions, accompanied by the sound of helicopters, around 2:00 am (0600 GMT).

The blasts continued for nearly an hour, AFP journalists said.

Trump said he would give a news conference at 11:00 am (1600 GMT) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he is on vacation.