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The audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and very wet boat journey in the dead of night, according to the American man who claims to have commanded the operation.

A Perilous Nocturnal Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, outlined the operation in a recent interview. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, describing rough and moonless seas that also provided ideal concealment for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the bigger the swells, the harder it is for radar to see,” he remarked.

He recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she left Venezuela, where she had been lying low for over a year fearing targeting by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an secret location to board a flight, in a mission planned just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – minimal moonlight, some cloud coverage, very hard to see, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern noted.

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

Confirmation and Disguise

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was behind the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This account comes after earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to leave her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

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

Funding and American Role

He stated publicly the endeavor 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 said.

He said, however, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the US military regarding locations and strategy, largely to avoid being targeted by airstrikes.

Future Plans and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans 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 focuses exclusively on extracting individuals from countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. But she wants to. Maria is truly inspirational,” he said.