Elite Army unit Delta Force captured Venezuelan President Maduro in daring raid

Delta Force, the U.S. Army’s most elite counterterrorism and direct action unit, carried out a daring night operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, President Donald Trump confirmed.

Officially known as the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – ​​Delta, Delta Force specializes in high-risk missions involving the capture or killing of high-value targets, as well as other precision operations that require speed, stealth, and precision.

The unit operates under U.S. Special Operations Command and is typically deployed in situations where missions carry significant political or strategic interest.

Accordingly Military.comDelta Force is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the center of U.S. Army special operations training. The unit has previously participated in some of the most significant US military operations, including the capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The covert unit also conducted numerous counterterrorism missions targeting senior al-Qaeda figures in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East.

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Delta Force is commanded by a senior Army officer, but the identity of the unit’s leader and the exact size of the unit are also kept secret.

It is unclear how many members participated in the Venezuela operation.

U.S. Army helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers,” were flying special operations forces into Venezuela during the raid, officials said.

According to the information obtained, at least seven explosions were heard in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and low-flying planes were seen over the city at around 02:00 in the morning local time.

The CIA provided the War Department with intelligence that helped Delta Force guide Maduro and his wife, who President Donald Trump said were detained during a U.S. military operation.

Officials emphasized that the CIA played a critical role in tracking and locating Maduro, while US military special operations forces carried out the physical capture.

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Smoke rises from Fort Tiuna, the main military garrison in Caracas, Venezuela, after multiple explosions were heard and planes scanned the area on Saturday, January 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Trump told “FOX & Friends Weekend” early Saturday that the U.S. military personnel involved in the operation “did an incredible job.”

“They rehearsed and practiced like no one had ever seen,” Trump said. “And real military people told me there is no other country in the world that can do such a maneuver.”

Trump said he was monitoring the operation in real time.

“The whole maneuver of the landings, the number of planes, which is huge, the number of helicopters, different types of helicopters, different types of fighter jets,” Trump said. “We had a fighter jet for every possible situation.”

“They just went in and got into places that were really impossible to get into,” he added. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Trump said Maduro was in a fortified residence but was captured before he could reach a safe area.

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Maduro and his wife were boarded aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are expected to be transferred to the United States. (Getty Images)

Trump also said that there were injuries during the operation, but there were no deaths or aircraft losses in the United States.

According to information obtained by Fox News, Maduro and his wife were boarded aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are expected to be transferred to the United States, where they will appear in federal court in New York City on Monday.

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, David Spunt, Jennifer Griffin and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.