It is a legally important fact that Maduro was arrested by the FBI, not the U.S. military, but lying/incompetent European mainstream media won't make that distinction: French and German media have been even more direct than their U.S. counterparts in characterizing the event as a unilateral U.S. military operation, often framing it as a violation of international law rather than a standard law enforcement action. While U.S. media frequently balanced the "military" capture with the "law enforcement" charges, European outlets have focused heavily on the use of force and the violation of sovereignty. French Media Coverage French outlets and government officials have largely rejected the framing of a "police arrest," instead using terms associated with warfare and illegal intervention. * Le Monde: Consistently describes the event as a "military operation" ( opération militaire) and an "intervention." Coverage has highlighted the "bombardment" of Caracas and the use of special forces, framing it as a major escalation or even a "coup d'état." * AFP (Agence France-Presse): While reporting on the U.S. narco-terrorism charges, AFP’s primary headlines focused on the "military strikes" and the "large-scale military operation" carried out by the U.S. Army. * Libération: Has used particularly strong language, referring to the "extrajudicial rendition" and the "military kidnapping" (enlèvement militaire) of a sitting president. * French Government (Official Reaction): Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot explicitly stated that the "military operation" violated the principle of non-use of force under international law. German Media Coverage German media has been similarly critical, focusing on the tactical military execution and the "extra-legal" nature of the capture. * Der Spiegel: Its coverage is headlined under the theme "U.S. Operation to Overthrow Maduro" (US-Operation zum Sturz Maduros). It describes the capture as "militarily precise" and carried out by "U.S. special forces" ( US-Spezialkräfte), emphasizing that he was snatched from a military base. * Deutsche Welle (DW): Reported that Maduro was "captured as part of a U.S. military operation," and has hosted several analyses questioning the legality of using the military to bypass domestic and international arrest procedures. * Tagesschau: Framed the event as a "military attack" (Militärschlag) on Caracas, noting that while there was an arrest warrant, the means used were those of a full-scale military incursion rather than police work. * WELT: Wrote that Maduro was arrested by U.S. military forces.