Spanish
Bryan Stern, the U.S. war veteran who led the secret 15-16 hour operation to get María Corina Machado out of Venezuela by sea, said he recommended to the opposition leader not to return to her country and assured that he has "never" been hired by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The founder of the Grey Bull Rescue group, based in Tampa, Florida, told CBS that he found her at sea and managed to move her to a secret location in the Caribbean where she took a plane to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize this Wednesday and reunite with her family.
"It was dangerous. It was terrifying. The sea conditions were ideal for us, but they weren't waters you want to be in, the higher the waves, the harder it is for the radar to see. That's how it works," Stern told CBS channel.
He acknowledged that "nobody enjoyed that journey, especially Maria!".
Specialist in extractions
Stern emphasized to the channel that Grey Bull does not act with government funds. "The U.S. Government did not contribute a single penny, at least as far as I know," he stated.
«I am the contractor specializing in extractions, and I have never been hired by Donald Trump», he said about versions that link the rescue to the president's environment.
The veteran denied that the pick-up was in Curaçao and avoided talking about the land phase because, "we still have work to do in Venezuela and we don't want to put the people, sources or methods involved at risk."
When they met with Machado, she recounted to CBS, «everyone was soaked. ‘My team and I were soaked to the bone. She was also cold and wet. It was a very arduous journey'», said Stern, who noted that the Nobel Peace Prize winner is the highest-profile person she has extracted.
