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The audacious getaway of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and very wet boat journey in the pitch black of night, according to the US veteran who says he led the operation.

A Perilous Nighttime Crossing

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, outlined the operation in a newly published interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting dark and choppy conditions that also provided convenient cover for the escape.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the higher the waves, the harder it is for radar to see,” Stern said.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from the country, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 due to fear of targeting by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour journey to an undisclosed location to board a flight, in a mission planned just four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – minimal moonlight, some cloud coverage, 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.

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

Verification and Disguise

A representative for Machado verified that Stern’s foundation was behind the operation, which began on Tuesday. This report comes after earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share details about the ground segment, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Funding and American Involvement

He told media the mission was funded through “a few generous donors” – with no US officials involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, at least not that I know of,” Stern asserted.

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

Next Steps and Inspiration

Machado said she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to return home, though the specifics remain uncertain the method or timing.

Stern said his group would not be involved in a return mission, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine for herself. Personally, I advise against returning. Yet she is determined. Maria is truly inspirational,” he concluded.