Despite resistance from Venezuelan forces, including fire that hit one of the helicopters, the strike force was able to reach a secure area of the compound just before Mr Maduro and his wife could lock themselves in.
These are some of the details of Saturday’s dramatic military operation to capture Maduro, described during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago later Saturday by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.
General Caine said the mission – called Operation Absolute Resolve – was the result of months of planning and rehearsal. It involved soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and National Guard members working with intelligence agencies.
He said the “unprecedented operation” involved 150 aircraft launched in close coordination from 20 bases in the Western Hemisphere.
“The failure of one part of this well-oiled machine would have jeopardized the entire mission,” General Caine said. “And failure is never an option for America’s joint force.”
The general said the intelligence community had been tracking Mr. Maduro for months to understand “how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore and what his pets were.”
He said the force had been deployed since early December to carry out the raid. An important consideration was the weather, which can be bad in Venezuela this time of year. General Caine said the weather broke just enough Friday evening to allow flight operations.
President Trump ordered the operation to continue at 10:46 p.m. on Friday, saying: “Good luck and take care.”
Mr. Trump, joined by Defense and State Secretaries Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio, and other officials watched the operation in real time via monitors at Mar-a-Lago.
During the night, aircraft were launched from land and sea bases across the hemisphere, including bombers, fighters, intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and rotary-wing craft.
General Caine said the youngest crew member was 20 and the oldest was 49.
As the night began, the helicopters took off with an extraction force, including law enforcement officers. According to the general, they started their flight to Venezuela 30 meters above the water.
As the helicopters approached the Venezuelan coast, Spacecom, CyberCom and other agencies began “combining different effects” to create a safe path for the spacecraft. General Caine said the helicopters were also protected from above by aircraft from the Marines, Navy, Air Force and Air National Guard.
The force included F-22s, F-35s, F-18s, EA18s, E2s, B1 bombers and other support aircraft, as well as numerous remote-controlled drones.
As the plane approached Caracas, the force began to “dismantle and disable” Venezuelan air defense systems and used air weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters to the target area, General Caine said.
The helicopters arrived at Maduro’s compound at 1:01 a.m. Washington time, which is 2:01 a.m. in Caracas. The helicopters received gunfire and one was hit, but was able to continue the mission.
U.S. forces returned fire with “overwhelming force” and the detention force descended on the compound, General Caine said.
Mr Maduro and his wife tried to lock themselves in a “secure area” of the compound when US forces reached them. They turned themselves in and were taken into custody by the Justice Department.
Warplanes and drones continued to provide overhead protection and suppressive fire as the force prepared for extraction. General Caine said there were “multiple self-defense actions” as the force began to withdraw.
He said the force was back on the water at 3:29 am. This means that the operation in Venezuela lasted almost two and a half hours. Mr. Maduro and his wife were transferred to the USS You have to people to go to New York, where they were charged.
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