A Midnight Go Ahead, A Pre-Dawn Arrest: How Washington Planned and Pulled Off the Maduro Operation

International

oi-Ashish Rana

The
United
States
executed
a
covert
and
meticulously
prepared
mission
to
detain
Venezuelan
President
Nicolas
Maduro,
culminating
in
his
capture
during
the
early
hours
of
Saturday.

The
operation,
authorised
at
the
highest
level,
combined
months
of
intelligence
work,
detailed
rehearsals,
and
a
large-scale
military
presence
across
the
Caribbean
region.

At
4:21
am,
US
President
Donald
Trump
announced
on
his
Truth
Social
platform
that
American
forces
had
taken
Maduro
and
his
wife
into
custody,
bringing
to
light
an
operation
that
had
been
quietly
unfolding
behind
the
scenes
for
months.

Months
of
planning
and
intelligence
groundwork

According
to
sources
familiar
with
the
mission,
elite
US
troops,
including
the
Army’s
Delta
Force,
trained
extensively
using
a
full-scale
replica
of
Maduro’s
safe
house.
The
rehearsals
focused
on
breaching
heavily
fortified
entry
points
and
navigating
steel-reinforced
interiors
designed
to
withstand
attacks.

The
Central
Intelligence
Agency
had
a
discreet
team
operating
on
the
ground
from
August,
gathering
precise
intelligence
on
Maduro’s
daily
movements.
Two
sources
said
the
agency
also
relied
on
an
asset
close
to
the
Venezuelan
leader
who
could
track
his
location
in
real
time
as
the
mission
progressed.
This
insight
into
his
pattern
of
life
was
critical
in
determining
the
exact
moment
to
strike.

Trump
approved
the
operation
four
days
before
it
was
carried
out,
though
military
and
intelligence
planners
advised
waiting
for
clearer
weather.
At
10:46
pm
EST
on
Friday,
he
gave
the
final
clearance
for
what
was
internally
named
Operation
Absolute
Resolve,
Joint
Chiefs
Chairman
Dan
Caine
later
told
reporters.

A
massive
military
buildup
and
coordinated
strikes

The
Pentagon
oversaw
an
extensive
deployment
in
the
Caribbean,
including
an
aircraft
carrier,
11
warships,
more
than
a
dozen
F-35
jets
and
over
15,000
troops
officially
assigned
to
anti-drug
missions.
A
core
group
of
senior
officials,
including
Stephen
Miller,
Marco
Rubio,
Defense
Secretary
Pete
Hegseth,
and
CIA
Director
John
Ratcliffe,
coordinated
closely
with
the
president
through
frequent
meetings
and
calls.

Late
on
Friday
night,
US
aircraft
launched
strikes
on
targets
in
and
around
Caracas,
hitting
air
defence
systems
and
other
military
assets.
Caine
said
more
than
150
aircraft
operated
from
20
bases
across
the
Western
Hemisphere,
including
F-35
and
F-22
fighters
and
B-1
bombers.

“We
had
a
fighter
jet
for
every
possible
situation,” Trump
told
Fox
News
Channel’s
“Fox
&
Friends.”

Reuters
images
later
showed
burnt-out
military
vehicles
at
the
La
Carlota
air
base,
underscoring
the
intensity
of
the
preliminary
strikes.

The
raid
on
Maduro’s
safe
house

As
the
air
campaign
unfolded,
US
Special
Forces
advanced
into
downtown
Caracas,
equipped
with
heavy
weapons
and
specialised
tools,
including
a
blowtorch
to
cut
through
reinforced
doors
if
necessary.
Around
1
am
EST,
troops
reached
Maduro’s
compound
while
coming
under
fire.
One
helicopter
was
struck
but
managed
to
remain
airborne.

Residents
posted
videos
on
social
media
showing
helicopters
flying
low
over
the
city.
Once
on
the
ground,
Special
Forces,
accompanied
by
FBI
agents,
entered
what
Trump
described
as
a
“very
highly
guarded
…
fortress.”

“They
just
broke
in,
and
they
broke
into
places
that
were
not
really
able
to
be
broke
into,
you
know,
steel
doors
that
were
put
there
for
just
this
reason,”
Trump
said.
“They
got
taken
out
in
a
matter
of
seconds.”

Maduro
taken
into
custody
and
flown
out

Inside
the
residence,
Maduro
and
his
wife
surrendered.
Trump
said
the
Venezuelan
leader
attempted
to
reach
a
safe
room
but
failed
to
secure
the
door
in
time.

“He
got
bum
rushed
so
fast
that
he
didn’t
get
into
that,”
Trump
said.

Some
US
personnel
were
wounded
during
the
operation,
though
none
were
killed.
As
the
extraction
began,
Rubio
started
notifying
lawmakers
that
the
mission
was
underway,
with
briefings
taking
place
only
after
the
operation
had
already
begun.

By
3:20
am
EST,
helicopters
carrying
Maduro
and
his
wife
were
over
open
water.
Nearly
seven
hours
after
his
initial
announcement,
Trump
posted
a
photograph
showing
the
captured
leader
blindfolded
and
handcuffed.

“Nicolas
Maduro
on
board
the
USS
Iwo
Jima,” Trump
wrote,
confirming
the
completion
of
one
of
the
most
complex
US
special
operations
in
recent
history.