American Prisoners Released from Venezuela as Maduro Warmly Recounts Meeting with Trump’s Envoy

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Despite not recognizing the legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro’s third-consecutive term as President of Venezuela, a meeting between Maduro and a Trump-appointed envoy has been concluded successfully, and, perhaps even more surprisingly, warmly.

6 unnamed American citizens have been released from Venezuelan prisons following negotiations between Caracas and Richard Grenell, Trump’s Special Envoy to Venezuela, a country the US has hostile relations with.

The US does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the elected president. Instead, 75-year-old Edmundo Gonzalez, who attended Trump’s inauguration, is put forward by the State Department as the winner of the 2024 elections.

When asked if a photograph of Grenell shaking hands with Maduro would lend legitimacy to his rule, Trump responded that he was a “big opponent of Venezuela” which is certainly true when examining his previous tenure. However, he added that he wanted to “do something with Venezuela”.

His opposite in Caracas said something similar.

“President Donald Trump, we have made a first step, hopefully it can continue,” Maduro said in an annual speech to the judiciary on Friday, according to Reuters, in which he was also supposed to have shared that he received details which made him look forward to “new deals for the good of the two countries and the region”.

PICTURED: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and Richard Grenell, US President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, shake hands at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday, January 31, 2025. PC: Miraflores Palace, Office of the President of Venezuela, released.

Who are the prisoners, what kind of deal?

At the time of publishing, CNN didn’t have the names of the prisoners, who were announced to have been released on X with a post from Grenell. The 6 men were photographed wearing the light-blue prison fatigues typical of the South American country.

“I’ve just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!”

CNN reported they had been imprisoned for 5 years, which aligns with a botched operation that reportedly aimed to capture or assassinate Maduro that was foiled by Venezuelan security forces in 2020.

2 Americans were taken prisoner in the before-dawn attack which left 8 people dead, WaL reported at the time. Newspapers quickly managed to contact the organizer of the so-called “Operation Gideon” who was a former Green Beret turned private security contractor named Jordan Gudreau.

President Trump said on May 5th, 2020, that his government was not involved, while then-Sect. of State Mike Pompeo said the State Dept. would use every measure to secure the detained Americans’ release.

Grenell was in Venezuela in part to discuss the return of illegal immigrants from Venezuela, something that has been top of Trump’s early presidential agenda, as well as something Caracas has so far refused to allow. WaL

 

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PICTURED ABOVE: Six Americans detained in Venezuela head home to the US with envoy for special missions Richard Grenell (third from right). PC: Richard Grenell via X.

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