Politics
NEW: Trump Announces Capture Of Individual Who Leaked Venezuela Plans To Media
Federal authorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Pentagon contractor and former Navy veteran, for allegedly leaking classified information related to the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland holding a top-secret security clearance, was taken into custody earlier in the week and remains behind bars. The case involves the unlawful retention and dissemination of national defense information, which authorities claim endangered U.S. military personnel and national security.
According to court filings in Maryland, Perez-Lugones is accused of accessing classified intelligence reports through government databases and repositories, then removing them from secure facilities. Investigators discovered the documents in his lunchbox and basement during a search of his home.
The leaked materials reportedly pertained to sensitive military details about the Venezuela operation, which were shared with Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson. On January 14, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Natanson’s Virginia residence, seizing her phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch as part of the investigation
Natanson is not a subject of the probe but was raided to identify sources.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated on social media that the search was conducted “at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI” and emphasized that “the leaker is currently behind bars.”
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the actions, noting the individual at the Washington Post was “allegedly obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor.”
🚨BREAKING: The FBI searched Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home and devices on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of sharing government secrets, according to multiple reports. pic.twitter.com/efJGCtW2N4
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 14, 2026
The leaked information relates to Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S. military raid on Venezuela that was carried out on January 3.
Operation Absolute Resolve involved approximately 200 U.S. personnel and over 150 aircraft from various branches of the military. It began around 2 a.m. local time with airstrikes on northern Venezuelan infrastructure to suppress air defenses.
Elite Delta Force commandos, supported by CIA operatives, then assaulted Maduro’s compound in Caracas, encountering heavy resistance from Venezuelan and Cuban security forces. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured unharmed and transported first to the USS Iwo Jima, then to New York City.
The raid resulted in dozens of casualties among Venezuelan and Cuban personnel, with no reported U.S. losses.
“The leaker was found, and is in jail right now. The leaker on Venezuela. A very bad leaker,” President Donald Trump said of the arrest while speaking with Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim leader. “Will probably be in jail for a long, long time,” he added.
Perez-Lugones faces charges of unlawful retention of national defense information under federal law, which carries potential penalties including imprisonment. The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities indicating the leaks posed risks to U.S. forces involved in the raid.
