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This daring getaway of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a long, frightening and very wet boat journey in the dead of night, according to the US veteran who says he led the mission.

A Perilous Nocturnal Crossing

Bryan Stern, who heads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the mission in a recent interview. “It was dangerous. It was terrifying,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting dark and choppy conditions that also provided ideal concealment for the flight.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, 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 departed from the country, where she had been in hiding for over a year due to fear of persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Escape Plan

She boarded his boat for a half-day trip to an secret location to catch a plane, in a mission orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – minimal moonlight, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. Everyone was quite damp. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

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

Confirmation and Concealment

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was responsible for the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This report follows previous reporting that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

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

Financing and American Role

He told media the endeavor was funded through “a few generous donors” – none of whom were US government figures involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

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

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern said his group would not be involved in that operation, as it focuses exclusively on getting people out of countries, not in. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he said.