Kathmandu. U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the United States plans to run Venezuela at least temporarily and sell its vast oil reserves to other countries, hours after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was ousted from power.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he said he was ready to use the leadership vacuum to improve oil infrastructure and export large quantities of oil.

The dramatic development is the result of months of intense pressure and covert planning by the Trump administration on the South American nation of Venezuela. It is considered to be the most aggressive US move to achieve regime change since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, legal experts have quickly questioned the legality of the military action without congressional approval.

Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, were captured overnight from a military base in Caracas and flown to the United States by a US warship.

They have been arraigned on charges of involvement in a narco-terrorism plot, US officials say. Maduro was taken to the U.S. Drug Control Administration (DEA) office in Manhattan after the plane landed near New York on Saturday afternoon amid tight security from federal agents. He is expected to be held in federal prison in Brooklyn awaiting trial.

In a video released by the White House, Maduro was seen smiling with DEA agents. However, US officials did not immediately confirm that he was in jail.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez strongly condemned the move and demanded that Maduro be released immediately and recognised as the country’s rightful leader. Although Venezuelan law allows him to assume an interim role, Rodriguez said on state television that he was not interested in taking power, saying “there is only one president in Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros”.

The Trump administration has described the operation as an effort to stop the illicit flow of drugs into the United States. At a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said the United States will cooperate with the Venezuelan administration until a safe, prudent transition is possible. He also described it as a stern warning against those who threaten US sovereignty and the security of citizens.

Explosions were heard in Caracas early on Saturday morning and military planes were seen flying at low altitudes. The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist invasion” and accused it of damaging civilian and military installations. The attack is said to last about 30 minutes. Rodriguez said some civilians and security forces had been killed, but the number was not released. The U.S. side said there were no casualties.

After Maduro’s takeover, supporters took to the streets in some areas of Caracas, while other areas were deserted. There was panic in the areas where there was a power outage. “Everyone is scared, a lot of families can’t sleep,” Caracas resident Noris Prada told AFP.

Meanwhile, in the city of Doral, Florida, the large Venezuelan community was seen celebrating Maduro’s downfall.

The incident has also caused ripples internationally. At Colombia’s request, the UN Security Council is preparing to convene an emergency meeting to discuss US military operations in Venezuela, diplomatic sources said. Several lawmakers from both parties in Congress expressed grave concern over the attack without congressional approval and demanded a clear answer from the administration on its legal basis and regional stability.