Spies, Drones And Rehearsal Inside A Replica Safe House: Every Detail Of The Covert US Operation That Led To Maduro’s Capture | World News

Caracas: For months, American intelligence officers had been following Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s every move. Senior military officials said a small, tightly controlled team was assigned to the mission, including a source inside the Venezuelan government.

The team was tracking where the 63-year-old leader slept, what he ate, what he wore and even his “pets,” according to officials familiar with the operation.

The mission, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, was completed in early December. This happened after months of planning and repeated rehearsals; Meanwhile, elite US troops trained in a full-scale replica of Maduro’s heavily guarded Caracas safe house, practicing entry routes and attack scenarios in minute detail.

The plan was kept under strict secrecy. The Congress was not informed in advance and there was no consultation. With every detail locked down, senior commanders simply waited for the right moment to act.

Military officials described the operation as one of the most extraordinary U.S. interventions in Latin America since the Cold War.

Authorities said surprise was at the heart of the plan. Trump approved the mission four days ago and preparations began immediately. Commanders then chose to wait for clearer weather and cloud cover to decrease before launching the attack.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday morning (January 3), America’s top military officer, General Dan Kane, said: “Throughout Christmas and New Year’s, U.S. servicemen and women were fully prepared and patiently waited for the right signals and the president’s order.”

‘Good luck and good luck’

The last order came from President Donald Trump at 22.46 local time on Friday night, January 2. Speaking hours later on Fox & Friends, Trump said, “We were going to do it four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, and then all of a sudden the conditions were right and we said ‘let’s do it.'”

Recalling Trump’s words, General Kane said, “He told us and we appreciated it very much… good luck and God willing.”

The order arrived in Caracas shortly before midnight, providing U.S. forces with nearly complete darkness to conduct the operation.

What happened next stunned officials in Washington and observers around the world. The air, land and sea attack was completed in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Authorities described the scale and sensitivity of it as nearly unprecedented.

Regional leaders condemned the operation. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the violent capture of the Venezuelan leader set “another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.”

Trump did not monitor the mission from the White House Situation Room. Instead, advisors from the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, watched the operation live along with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“It was incredible to watch,” he said Saturday, adding, “If you saw what happened, I mean, I was really watching it like a television show. The speed, the violence, it was astonishing. These people did an incredible job.”

Thousands of US soldiers have been deployed to the region in recent months. An aircraft carrier and dozens of warships formed the largest American military buildup there in decades, following Trump’s accusations that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “narco-terrorism” and the destruction of dozens of boats allegedly carrying drugs.

The first signs of Operation Absolute Resolve appeared in the sky. More than 150 aircraft, including bombers, fighters and surveillance planes, were deployed overnight, U.S. officials said.

“This was extremely complex. The whole maneuver, the landings, the number of planes. We had a fighter jet ready for any possible situation,” Trump told Fox News.

Around 2 a.m. local time, residents of Caracas reported large explosions and thick clouds of smoke rising over the city.

BBC correspondent Ana Vanessa Herrero said: “I heard a pretty loud explosion. The windows shook violently. Immediately afterwards I saw a huge cloud of smoke covering almost everything.”

“There were planes and helicopters flying all over the city,” he added.

Videos showing the state of the plane in the air and what happened after the explosion began to circulate on social media. One of the images showed helicopters flying low over Caracas and smoke rising from underneath them.

An eyewitness named Daniela told the BBC: “Around 1.55am we woke up to the sound of planes flying over Caracas and explosions. Everything went completely dark. We could only see flashes of light from nearby explosions.”

He said neighbors were messaging each other in group chats and were confused and scared, and no one knew what was going on.

Multiple videos show explosions, fires and smoke in different parts of Caracas. Locations hit include Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, La Carlota airport and La Guaira Port, which connects Caracas to the Caribbean Sea.

Officials said several airstrikes targeted air defense systems and other military facilities. Trump also stated that electricity was largely cut off in Caracas before the operation began, but he did not explain how this happened.

“We have a certain expertise. There was a major power outage in Caracas. It was dark. It was deadly,” he said.

‘They knew we were coming’

As explosions echoed around Caracas, US troops advanced towards the city. Elite Delta Force units were among those deployed.

The soldiers were heavily armed and carried blowtorches to cut through the metal doors at Maduro’s safe house if necessary.

Soldiers reached Maduro’s compound shortly after the attacks began at 02:01 local time. Trump described it as a heavily fortified military “fortress” located in the heart of Caracas.

“They were fully prepared and waiting for us. They knew we were coming,” Trump said.

When the troops arrived, they came under fire and a US helicopter was targeted. He managed to escape.

The team tasked with capturing Maduro descended on the compound and advanced with speed, precision and discipline.

Trump added: “They went right in and got into places that weren’t easy to get into, including steel doors that were specially designed to stop them.”

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, was also captured during the operation.

As the mission began, Secretary of State Marco Rubio began briefing lawmakers. Some members of Congress later expressed anger at the lack of advance notice.

“Let me be clear. Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. Taking military action without congressional authorization and a credible plan for what happens next is reckless,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

At a news conference Saturday, Rubio said notifying Congress in advance could jeopardize the mission. “There’s always a risk of leaks in Congress. That wouldn’t be good,” Trump said.

In recent months, Maduro has reportedly increased his dependence on Cuban bodyguards.

Trump said that Maduro tried to escape towards a safe room as US soldiers entered the compound.

“He was trying to get to a safe place. It wouldn’t have stayed safe because we would have blown that door open in about 47 seconds,” Trump said.

“He came to the door. He couldn’t close it. They surrounded him so quickly that he could never get in,” he said.

Asked whether Maduro could be killed if he resisted arrest, Trump replied, “This could happen.”

Trump said “one or two” Americans were injured during the operation, but no deaths were reported in the United States. Venezuelan authorities have not confirmed any deaths.

Previously, the USA announced that a reward of 50 million dollars would be given to those who provide information leading to the capture of Maduro.

At 04.20 local time on Saturday, Maduro and his wife were in the custody of the US Department of Justice. The helicopters carrying them left Venezuelan airspace and headed for New York, where criminal proceedings were awaited.

About an hour later, Trump announced to the world that he had been captured. “Maduro and his wife will soon face the full might of the American justice system,” he said.