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This daring escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and very wet boat journey in the dead of night, as detailed by the American man who claims to have commanded the operation.

A Dangerous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, outlined the operation in a newly published media appearance. “It was dangerous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, recounting dark and choppy conditions that also provided ideal concealment for the flight.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He described meeting Machado out at sea after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 due to fear of persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Detailed Extraction

Machado embarked on his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an undisclosed location to board a flight, as part of orchestrated just days before. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, very hard to see, boats have no lights. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was also chilled and wet. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he commented, She was elated. She was very excited. She was very tired,” and noted about two dozen people were directly involved within his team.

Verification and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado verified that Stern’s foundation was behind the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This account follows earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the ground segment, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the country.

Funding and American Involvement

He told media the mission was financed by “a few generous donors” – none of whom were US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern said.

He clarified, though, that his group did coordinate informally with the American armed forces regarding positioning and plans, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though it is not clear how or when.

Stern indicated his group would not be involved in a return mission, as it focuses exclusively on getting people out of countries, not in. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.