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This daring getaway of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a long, frightening and soaking sea crossing in the pitch black of night, according to the US veteran who claims to have commanded the operation.

The Dangerous Nocturnal Crossing

Bryan Stern, who heads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the mission in a newly published media appearance. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” Stern said.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from the country, where she had been in hiding for over a year fearing persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour journey to an secret location to catch a plane, in a mission planned just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

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

Confirmation and Disguise

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

Stern did not divulge specifics about the ground segment, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the country.

Funding and American Role

He told media the endeavor was financed by “several benefactors” – none of whom were US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, at least not that I know of,” Stern said.

He said, however, that his group did coordinate informally with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, largely to avoid being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern indicated 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 and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.