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This audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the dead of night, according to the American man who says he led the operation.

The Dangerous Nocturnal Crossing

Bryan Stern, who leads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a newly published media appearance. “It was dangerous. It was terrifying,” 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 more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been in hiding for over a year due to fear of persecution by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Extraction

Machado embarked on his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip 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, extremely low visibility, boats have no lights. All of us were pretty wet. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was also chilled and wet. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he said, “She was very happy. She was very excited. She was very tired,” adding that about two dozen people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado verified that Stern’s foundation was behind the extraction, which began on Tuesday. 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.

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

Funding and American Role

He told media the mission was financed by “several benefactors” – with no US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

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

Next Steps and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has declared her intention to return home, though the specifics remain uncertain the method or timing.

Stern said his group would play no part in that operation, as it focuses exclusively on getting people out of countries, not bringing them back. “She must decide that for herself. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.