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This audacious getaway of political leader María Corina Machado involved a lengthy, “scary” and soaking boat journey in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

A Perilous Nighttime Crossing

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a newly published interview. “It was dangerous. It was scary,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered convenient cover for the flight.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, 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 government of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Detailed Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an secret location to board a flight, as part of orchestrated just four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, boats have no lights. All of us were pretty wet. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

Describing her condition, he commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was very tired,” adding that about twenty-four people were actively participating within his team.

Verification and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This account follows earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to leave her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the land operation, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Financing and US Involvement

He told media the endeavor was funded through “several benefactors” – with no US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, at least not that I know of,” Stern asserted.

He clarified, though, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the US military regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Admiration

Machado said she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain how or when.

Stern said his group would play no part 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.