SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. military captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in an overnight strike in Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Saturday morning.
The president called the capture an "effective military strike by land, air, and sea."
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FOX 13 News followed up with the Venezuelan community in Utah, who expressed a mix of hope and apprehension.
"This is something for us Venezuelans have been waiting for a long time," said Mayra Molina, executive director for the Venezuelan Alliance of Utah.
The U.S. government has indicted both Maduro and his wife on multiple charges.
"[He] has been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States," President Trump said during a Saturday morning press conference.
For many Venezuelans in Utah, the news is a sign of hope for an end to what they call a dictatorship.
"We're closer to liberty," said Alexis Parra, owner of a restaurant in Magna, speaking through his daughter Arianna, who translated. "He's happy that we can be closer to freedom now."
However, the strike was difficult for some to watch.
"Bombs falling in the sky of the beautiful city — as a Venezuelan, it was a mix of feelings and emotions because they came through thinking, 'What will happen with the innocent people?'" said Molina.
Molina said the Venezuelan capital of Caracas was bombarded during the strike. While she celebrates Maduro's capture, she acknowledged the pain it may cause.
"I know there could be a lot of people against it, but we feel that we didn't have any more options," she said, citing numerous failed attempts at dialogue. "It's been more than 25 years fighting for this... We had more than 500,000 people killed by the government in Venezuela. We had people disappear from the government."
Despite the uncertainty, the Venezuelan community in Utah is hopeful for a democratic future.
"It's a sign of hope," Parra said. "Tomorrow is going to be a better day because there's no more dictator."
Molina echoed this sentiment.
"Justice and Venezuela can go back to a democracy, freedom for love for all of the Venezuelan people," said Molina.
