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This daring escape of political leader María Corina Machado involved a lengthy, frightening and very wet boat journey in the dead of night, as detailed by the US veteran who claims to have commanded the mission.

A Perilous Nocturnal Crossing

Bryan Stern, who leads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the operation in a newly published media appearance. It was perilous. It was scary,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the higher the waves, the harder it is for radar to see,” he remarked.

He recalled rendezvousing with Machado offshore 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.

A Step-by-Step Escape Plan

Machado embarked on his boat for a half-day journey to an secret location to board a flight, as part of planned just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

Regarding her state, he commented, “She was very happy. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about twenty-four people were actively participating within his organization.

Verification and Disguise

A representative for Machado verified that Stern’s company was behind the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This report comes after previous reporting that Machado used a wig and costume to leave her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share details about the ground segment, referencing his company’s future work in the region.

Financing and US Role

He told media the mission was financed by “a few generous donors” – none of whom were US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He said, however, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the US military regarding positioning and plans, primarily to prevent being targeted by airstrikes.

Next Steps and Inspiration

Machado said she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though the specifics remain uncertain 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 bringing them back. “That’s for her to determine for herself. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. Maria is truly inspirational,” he concluded.