‘I’m alive. I’m safe’: Dramatic video shows María Corina Machado’s secret escape from Venezuela— watch
A US-based civilian rescue group, Grey Bull Rescue, has released dramatic footage showing how Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was secretly extracted from the country last month, ending nearly a year in hiding amid President Nicolás Maduro’s crackdown.The video, released on Friday, documents Machado’s high-risk midnight escape by boat across the Caribbean, confirming that she is alive and safe following the covert operation.The footage shows Machado arriving on a small vessel from the Venezuelan coast before being transferred to a rescue boat operated by Grey Bull Rescue. She is received by the group’s founder, Bryan Stern, a US special forces veteran.“That’s them, that’s them, that’s them,” Stern is heard saying as the lights from Machado’s approaching boat emerge in the darkness.Moments later, Stern helps her board his vessel. “Hi, María. My name is Bryan. Nice to meet you. I got you,” he says.Machado, visibly shaken and drenched after the journey, replies: “So wet and so cold.”In a brief onboard video recorded after the transfer, Machado looks into the camera and delivers a clear message confirming her safety.“I am María Corina Machado. I’m alive. I’m safe and very grateful to Grey Bull.”Grey Bull Rescue said the covert extraction lasted nearly 16 hours and involved navigating rough seas. The organisation conducts civilian rescue missions around the world and claims to have carried out more than 800 such operations globally.Speaking to CBS News in December, Stern said that while Grey Bull has completed hundreds of rescues, this mission stood out as one of the most challenging — and most rewarding — operations he has undertaken.Machado has declined to discuss operational details, citing security concerns. However, she has previously acknowledged receiving undisclosed support from the United States.Stern said the mission was funded by anonymous donors and was not officially backed by Washington, though US military authorities were informed of Grey Bull’s presence at sea, CNN reported.Barred from public office and forced underground during Maduro’s crackdown, Machado later travelled to Oslo, where she accepted the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize and reunited with her family. She had fled Venezuela in early December 2025 to attend the ceremony.Last week, Machado met US President Donald Trump and presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, framed in gold. The Norwegian Nobel Committee later clarified that while the medal may be gifted, the Peace Prize itself is non-transferable.Trump accepted the framed medal and, in return, handed Machado a maroon swag bag bearing his signature in gold.
