Grey Bull released a two-minute video showing how it helped Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado leave the country in early December after nearly a year in hiding. The footage captures a tense, nighttime rendezvous at sea, Bryan Stern assisting Machado aboard his vessel, and Machado saying she is "alive" and "safe." Grey Bull says the nearly 16-hour extraction traversed rough, nighttime waters and was funded by anonymous donors; Machado has declined to provide further details for safety reasons.
Rescue Team Shares Video of María Corina Machado’s Daring Nighttime Extraction From Venezuela
Clipped From Video
US-based extraction group Grey Bull on Friday published a two-minute, edited video that documents how it helped Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado leave the country late last month.
According to Grey Bull and the footage, Machado — who left Venezuela in early December after nearly a year in hiding so she could travel to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize — first boarded a small boat on the Venezuelan coast. She sailed to a rendezvous point in the Caribbean Sea, where Grey Bull founder and former special-forces veteran Bryan Stern and his team were waiting aboard a second vessel.
Nighttime Transfer Captured On Clip
The short, edited clip shows Machado's boat approaching in the dark and the moment she is brought alongside the Grey Bull vessel. Audio on the recording captures Stern shouting, “That’s them, that’s them, that’s them,” as lights from Machado’s craft close in. After their crews verify her identity, Stern is heard assisting Machado during the transfer, though the actual handover is difficult to see because of the night conditions.
“Hi, María. My name is Bryan. Nice to meet you. I got you.”
In the footage Machado, wearing a dark jacket and hat, addresses the camera:
“I am María Corina Machado. I’m alive. I’m safe and very grateful to Grey Bull.”
The clip ends with still photographs of Machado alongside Stern and members of his team while Stern’s voice is heard saying, “Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot. Objective Golden Dynamite,” and indicating the group was en route to Curaçao, an island off Venezuela’s coast.
Operation Details And Aftermath
Grey Bull said the extraction lasted nearly 16 hours and was conducted largely at night through rough seas. Stern has said the team reached shore in the early morning and Machado then boarded a flight bound for Norway to accept the Nobel Prize and see family.
Machado declined to comment on the operation on Friday, citing safety concerns for those involved. CNN has reached out to her team for comment. She has previously told reporters she received support from the US government but would not provide details, saying,
“One day I will be able to tell you, because certainly I don’t want to put them in risk right now.”
Stern told reporters the mission was funded by anonymous donors and, to his knowledge, did not have US government support; he did acknowledge his team informed the US military of their presence at sea so authorities were aware of the operation. Grey Bull, led by Stern, says it has completed at least 800 civilian extractions worldwide.
Note: The released clip is edited and short; many operational details remain unverified independently.
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