Bryan Stern, the U.S. war veteran who led the secret operation to evacuate Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado by sea and in disguise, said on Friday that no one has contacted them to bring the Nobel Peace Prize winner back to her country, after she stated in Oslo that she intends to return.
«We have not been asked to do that,» he said at a virtual press conference.
Stern, founder of the Bull Rescue Foundation, which specializes in «the rescue of Americans and allies from conflict and disaster zones,» added, «I told Maria she shouldn't return because the world needs her.» He also noted that he would prefer her to be safe rather than in danger.
According to Stern, the 15 to 16-hour operation to extract Machado was paid for by «generous donors,» whom he linked to Venezuelan-Americans who are discontent with the Maduro regime. He denied receiving help from the U.S. government but stated that he contacted high-ranking military officials to prevent his at-sea operation from being misinterpreted, given recent U.S. airstrikes off the Venezuelan coast.
«I was deeply concerned about being a target for U.S. military attacks. We were, you know, two ships out at sea off the coast of Venezuela in the dark of night doing something, and the all-seeing eye from the sky could misinterpret this as something nefarious,» he explained.
Stern also denied any assistance from Venezuelan authorities or their awareness of the operation. «The regime is probably a bit embarrassed and irritated,» he concluded.
Machado, who lives in hiding in Venezuela, stated on Thursday from the Norwegian capital that she wants to return to her country. The extraction operation, which involved land, sea, and air transport, allowed her to personally receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway this week.
During her escape, the opposition leader had to wear a wig and a disguise to pass through ten security checkpoints before reaching a fishing port where she boarded a small boat that took her to a waiting ship in the open sea.
In a separate statement, Stern said he would be delighted to participate in an operation to extract Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, although he noted it would be very difficult to do so alive. «Killing him would probably be quite simple, but getting him out alive and bringing him to justice, I think, would be very difficult,» he affirmed.
