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This audacious getaway of political leader María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and soaking boat journey in the dead of night, as detailed by the American man who says he led the mission.

The Perilous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, outlined the mission in a newly published media appearance. It was perilous. It was scary,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, recounting dark and choppy conditions that simultaneously offered convenient cover for the escape.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the higher the waves, the harder it is for radar to see,” he remarked.

He recalled rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she left the country, where she had been lying low for over a year due to fear of persecution by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a half-day trip to an undisclosed location to board a flight, as part of orchestrated just days before. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, some cloud coverage, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

Regarding her state, he commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about two dozen people were actively participating within his organization.

Verification and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado verified that Stern’s company was behind the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This account comes after earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share specifics about the land operation, referencing his company’s future work in the region.

Financing and US Involvement

He stated publicly the mission was funded through “several benefactors” – none of whom were US officials involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

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

Future Plans and Inspiration

Machado said she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to return home, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern said his group would play no part in that operation, as it focuses exclusively on extracting individuals from countries, not bringing them back. “That’s for her to determine for herself. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.