Spies, drones, and blowtorches: The method behind the US’s capture of Maduro

For several months, American intelligence operatives had been surveilling the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s actions.

A select group, which included a source from the Venezuelan government, had been tracking the 63-year-old’s sleeping arrangements, dietary habits, wardrobe choices, and even, as noted by senior military officials, “his pets”.

Then, in early December, a carefully orchestrated mission known as “Operation Absolute Resolve” was finalised. This was the culmination of months of detailed planning and rehearsals, which included elite US forces crafting a precise full-scale model of Maduro’s secure residence in Caracas to practice their access tactics.

The strategy – representing a remarkable US military intervention in Latin America not witnessed since the Cold War – was kept under wraps. Lawmakers were neither notified nor consulted prior to the operation. With the exact plans in place, senior military leaders simply needed to bide their time for the ideal moment to proceed.

They aimed to enhance the element of surprise, officials indicated on Saturday. There was a false start four days prior when President Trump gave the green light, but they chose to delay for improved weather and clearer skies.

“Throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas and the New Year, the personnel of the United States military were on standby, patiently awaiting the right conditions to be met and for the president to instruct us to act,” General Dan Caine, the highest-ranking military official in the country, remarked at a press briefing on Saturday morning.

The directive from the president to initiate the operation finally arrived at 22:46 EDT on Friday. “We intended to proceed with this four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, and then suddenly the circumstances changed. And we said: Go,” Trump conveyed to Fox & Friends on Saturday in the hours following the overnight incursion.

“He expressed to us, and we are thankful… good luck and Godspeed,” Gen Caine stated. Trump’s order was issued just before midnight in Caracas, granting the military a significant portion of the night to function in darkness.

What transpired was a two-hour and twenty-minute operation via air, land, and sea that left many in Washington and across the globe astonished. In terms of magnitude and accuracy, it was nearly unprecedented. It also drew swift condemnation from numerous regional leaders, with Brazil’s President Lula da Silva stating that the aggressive apprehension of Venezuela’s leader established “yet another extremely hazardous precedent for the entire international community”.

Trump did not monitor the operation from the White House situation room. Rather, he was accompanied by his advisers at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he observed a live feed of the mission alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“It was remarkable to witness,” Trump remarked on Saturday. “If you had viewed what took place, I mean, I literally watched it as if I were seeing a television program. And if you had seen the speed, the ferocity… it was just, it was an incredible event, a tremendous job accomplished by these individuals.”

In recent months, a significant number of US troops have been dispatched to the area, joining an aircraft carrier and numerous warships in the largest military buildup in many years, as President Trump has accused Maduro of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism while destroying multiple small vessels allegedly transporting drugs through the region.

However, the initial indicators of Operation Absolute Resolve were identified in the airspace. More than 150 aircraft – comprising bombers, fighter jets, and reconnaissance planes – were eventually utilized throughout the night, said US officials.

“It was highly complicated, incredibly complex, the entire maneuver, the landings, the quantity of aircraft,” Trump told Fox News. “We had a fighter jet prepared for every conceivable scenario.”

Loud detonations were reported in Caracas around 02:00 local time, and thick smoke was visible rising over the city. “I heard an enormous noise, a loud explosion,” reported Ana Vanessa Herrero to the BBC. “It rattled all the windows. Immediately afterward, I witnessed a massive cloud of smoke that nearly obscured all visibility.”

“Aircraft and helicopters were soaring all over the city,” she said.

Shortly thereafter, videos depicting various aircraft in the skies – along with others showing the apparent aftermath of explosions – began to spread widely across social media. One captured a convoy of helicopters skimming low over Caracas as smoke billowed from identifiable blasts.

“We awoke around 01:55 to the sound of explosions and the buzz of planes overhead in Caracas,” a witness named Daniela recounted to the BBC. “Everything was thrown into total darkness, lit only by the flashes from nearby explosions.”

“Neighbors were texting in the community group chat, all puzzled and unaware of what was occurring [and] terrified by the blasts,” she added.

BBC Verify has investigated a variety of videos depicting blasts, fire, and smoke in different areas of Caracas to pinpoint which locations were attacked.

Thus far, it has confirmed five sites, including Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, an airfield known as La Carlota, and Port La Guaira, which serves as Caracas’ main passage to the Caribbean Sea.

Some of the US attacks focused on air defense systems and additional military objectives, officials indicated. Trump also hinted at the US disabling the power in Caracas prior to the operation, though he did not provide specifics.

“The lights of Caracas were mostly extinguished due to a specific expertise we possess,” he stated. “It was dark and it was lethal.”

As the strikes echoed across Caracas, US forces advanced into the city. This included members of the elite Delta Force, the US military’s premier special operations unit, sources relayed to CBS, a US affiliate of the BBC. They were heavily armed and carried a blowtorch in case they needed to breach the metal doors of Maduro’s safe shelter.

The troops reached Maduro’s site shortly after the strikes commenced at 02:01 local time, according to General Caine. Trump characterized the safe house as a heavily fortified military “stronghold” situated in the heart of Caracas. “They were on high alert, anticipating our arrival. They were aware we were coming,” he remarked.

The troops encountered gunfire upon their arrival, and one of the American helicopters was struck but managed to continue flying. “The apprehension unit infiltrated Maduro’s compound and acted with speed, accuracy, and discipline,” General Caine described.

“They simply broke in, overcoming barriers that were designed specifically to prevent entry, such as steel doors placed explicitly for this very purpose,” Trump stated.

It was only as the mission – which also resulted in the capture of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores – was unfolding that Secretary of State Rubio began to inform Congress about the operation, a choice that has incited frustration among some lawmakers.

“Let me be clear: Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. However, initiating military action without congressional approval and without a solid strategy for what follows is irresponsible,” stated leading Democrat Chuck Schumer, head of the Senate party.

Advising Congress in advance would have jeopardized the operation, Rubio informed reporters at the Saturday press conference. “Congress tends to leak information,” Trump added. “This would not be favorable.”

In Maduro’s complex, as elite American forces surged in, Trump noted that the Venezuelan president – who has reportedly enhanced his dependence on Cuban security personnel recently – tried to escape to a secure room. “He was attempting to reach a safe area, which was not actually safe, because we would have breached the door in about 47 seconds,” he remarked.

“He reached the door but could not shut it,” Trump explained. “He was overwhelmed so quickly that he didn’t manage to get into that [room].”

When queried whether the US could have killed Maduro, an authoritarian figure who assumed the presidency in 2013, had he resisted capture, Trump replied: “It could have occurred.” He mentioned that “a couple of individuals were hit” on the US side, but no American military personnel lost their lives. Venezuelan authorities have yet to verify any casualties.

The US had previously offered a reward of $50 million for information leading to Maduro’s capture. However, by 04:20 local time on Saturday, helicopters were departing Venezuelan airspace with Maduro and his wife aboard, under the custody of the Department of Justice and bound for New York, where they are anticipated to face criminal charges.

Almost exactly an hour later, Trump communicated the news of his capture to the public. “Maduro and his wife will soon confront the full force of American justice,” he stated.

With additional reporting from Cristobal Vasquez