NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
A US covert team carried out a mission to extract Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado while her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in Europe.
Special Forces veteran Bryan Stern described the treacherous operation and the measures taken to get it safely out of Venezuela.
“It was dangerous for her, very dangerous for her, dangerous for everyone involved, frankly,” Stern, director of the Gray Bull Rescue Foundation, said on Fox News Radio's “Brian Kilmeade Show.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado greets at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, early Thursday, December 11. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)
Machado surprised much of the world when he appeared on a balcony in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday, thousands of miles from Venezuela.
Stern explained that his group had been conducting missions in Venezuela, but when they were first contacted about this assignment, they had no idea it involved such a high-profile figure.
VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS COUNTRY IS AT 'THRESHOLD OF FREEDOM' WHILE NEW MANIFESTO PREVENTS REGIME CHANGE
“At first we didn't know it was Maria,” he said, adding that knowing her identity changed “everything.”
“She has been one of my heroes for years. To be asked to participate in this, much less run this operation, is probably the greatest privilege I will have in my career,” Stern also said.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures during an anti-government protest on January 9 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesús Vargas/Getty Images)
The leak developed by land, air and sea. At one point, Stern said they were on a small fishing boat in the middle of the night, battling rough “five to ten foot” seas. He described a retired Marine on the ship vomiting for hours because of the difficult water conditions.
WHY THE UNITED STATES COULD SEIZE A VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER, AND NOT UNDER THE 'WARTIME' AUTHORITY USED IN CARTEL ATTACKS
“Maria didn't complain once,” Stern said, describing her behavior throughout the trip as “inspiring.”
Stern noted that the team operated under the constant threat of detection by the forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and did not relax until Machado was in Norway.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Ana Corina Sosa's daughter accepts the award on behalf of her mother, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at City Hall in Oslo, Norway, on December 10. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix, Pool via AP)
“When I saw Maria hug her daughter is when I took a deep breath,” he said.
VENEZUELA ACCUSES US OF 'PIRACY' AFTER USE OF MASSIVE OIL TANKER
Machado had been in hiding since January after being detained in Caracas, an arrest her supporters say came after she joined a crowd protesting Maduro's inauguration. She has long been an outspoken critic of the Maduro regime and its disputed elections, and leads Venezuela's main opposition movement.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for his work promoting democracy and human rights. Machado publicly thanked President Donald Trump for his support against the regime and told Fox News Digital that she also dedicated the award to him.
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simón Bolívar during a civil-military event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, November 25. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the award in her place on Wednesday and stated that her mother “will never give up” on wanting to live in a free Venezuela.
Machado's removal comes as the United States increases pressure on the Maduro government. In early December, the White House confirmed that the military seized a multimillion-dollar tanker allegedly transporting illicit Iranian oil.
