Maduro Says He Won't Celebrate His Birthday In a Stadium After Former U.S. Official Posts Ominous Picture

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro said he will not celebrate his birthday in a stadium after a former U.S. official posted an ominous image of the venue following the announcement.

"I been a joker all my life. I was talking at a community assembly and started to joke, but it seems some people believed it," Maduro said during a TV appearance.

Maduro had said he planned to celebrate his birthday on November 23 with what he described as a large public concert at Caracas's Estadio Monumental Simón Bolívar, one of the largest sports venues in Latin America.

"Next Sunday is my birthday. You're all invited to the Monumental, to the big concert we're going to hold," Maduro said during a public event, adding that the gathering would draw "more people than Old School, than Karol G, and we're going to have more fun than they do."

Shortly after the announcement, former U.S. Treasury official Marshall Billingslea posted an aerial image of the stadium on X. He provided no commentary, but the post drew attention because it follows a series of satellite-style images and disclosures he has circulated about Maduro's security infrastructure in recent weeks, suggesting the Venezuelan leader is being closely monitored.

Billingslea, who served as Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing during the first Trump administration, posted what he described as a satellite image of an underground bunker beneath Simón Bolívar International Airport in mid-September, claiming the facility contains more than five underground levels at a depth of roughly 40 meters, connecting directly to the presidential hangar and supported by Cuban security personnel.

He also said the installation includes living quarters, a situation room, and supplies capable of sustaining 150 people for months.

Tensions are set to escalate as the day in which the Trump administration will officially designate the Cartel de los Soles, which it accuses Maduro and other top officials of leading, as a terrorist organization, approaches.

In this context, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the development would bring "a whole bunch of new options to the United States" to target the regime.