January 4, 2026 | 09:39 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Trump has revealed more details about Venezuela's Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores' abduction in a press conference on Saturday, as reported by The Week.
It all started with a private phone call between Trump and Maduro a week ago, where Trump threatened Maduro to step down. Trump claimed that Maduro had "came close" to surrendering but decided to stay.
At that time, U.S. warships were nearing the Venezuelan coast, and the CIA team had entered the country, tracking Maduro's movements, habits, his house, what he wore, and even his pets.
The plan to kidnap Maduro began around 10:46 p.m. on Friday when Trump gave the final order.
General Dan Caine, Chair of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that 150 military aircraft, including drones, fighter jets, and bombers, took off from 20 different military bases and Navy ships.
He said that the aircraft took off from 20 different bases on land and sea, with support aircraft also involved.
The elite forces had studied Maduro's presidential complex quite well, using replicas based on the intelligence gathered by the U.S. It was very similar to the operation they carried out in Abbottabad, Pakistan, to eliminate Osama bin Laden.
The U.S. cut off power in Caracas to gain an advantage in the battle, and an aircraft blew up Venezuela's air defense system, clearing the way for helicopters. A large military complex at Tiuna Fortress was set ablaze.
At 1 a.m. local time on Saturday, the U.S. troops landed in a "heavily fortified military fortress" in Caracas, where Maduro was staying. Within three minutes, the commando forces blew up the main door to progress through the building towards Maduro's location.
Shots were fired as they arrived, and an American helicopter was hit, but not to the extent of being unable to fly.
As the Special Operations forces successfully made their way through the complex toward Maduro's room, the Venezuelan leader and his wife attempted to flee to a steel-reinforced room. Maduro had relied on Cuban guards to protect himself.
"He was trying to get to a safe place," said Trump at the press conference. "It was a very thick door, a very heavy door. But he was unable to get to that door. He made it to the door, but he was unable to close it," Trump added.
Even if he had managed to close the door, the commando forces had brought "massive blowtorches" and trained to use it to cut through the steel walls of Maduro's safe room.
Approximately five minutes after entering the building, Delta Force reported that they had apprehended Maduro.
As the helicopter left the complex, they were protected by fighter jets and drones providing cover fire.
The kidnappers were over the waters at 3:39 a.m. local time, said Caine. Maduro and his wife were then taken to the USS Iwo Jima and later brought to the United States.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unveiled charges on Saturday morning, accusing Maduro and Flores of smuggling "tons of cocaine" into the United States, along with other alleged crimes.
Critics warned that the attack violated international law, bypassed the U.S. Congress, and risked further destabilization throughout Venezuela and the broader region.
Read: Malaysia, China Call on U.S. to Release Venezuela's Maduro
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