Around 3:29 a.m. on Jan. 3, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by U.S. special forces from their compound in Fort Tiuna, Venezuela.
As reported by USA Today, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the operation, named Absolute Resolve, involved 150 aircraft from 20 bases across the Western Hemisphere and personnel from the U.S. military, CIA, National Security Agency, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
President Trump said on Fox and Friends, “We had a fighter jet for every possible situation.” Aircraft ranged from B-1 Lancer bombers to AH-6 Little Bird support helicopters.
General Caine said it took months to track Maduro, including, “how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets.”
Reuters reported that the CIA had a small team in Venezuela since August 2025. The agency also had an asset close to Maduro who monitored his location during Operation Absolute Resolve.
Around 10:46 p.m. on Jan. 2, President Trump gave the green light for the mission.
Support helicopters, escorted by fighter jets, entered Venezuelan airspace, flying low above the Caribbean.
Strikes on the nearby La Carlota airbase, Port La Guaria, Fort Tiuna, and Higuerote airport commenced shortly thereafter.
At 1:01 a.m., U.S. special forces, including Army’s Delta Force, arrived at Maduro’s compound. One helicopter was hit but remained operational, Trump said in his Fox & Friends interview.
According to the BBC, Maduro tried to escape by entering a steel safety room, but could not close the door in time. He was captured by U.S. forces.
At 4:21 a.m., President Trump announced on Truth Social that Maduro had been captured and successfully flown out of the country.
Maduro’s capture follows the backdrop of U.S. strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats as part of Operation Southern Spear and the seizure of oil tankers.
The operation’s legality has been widely questioned.
Jeremy Paul, a Northeastern University professor, said, “You cannot say this was a law enforcement operation and then turn around and say now we need to run the country. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Susie Wiles, Trump’s Chief of Staff, told Vanity Fair that the president would need congressional approval for any land operations in Venezuela.
Michael Albertus, a University of Chicago political science professor, said, “The closest historical parallel to the removal of Maduro was U.S. intervention in Panama in 1989 and the ultimate capture of its military leader, Manuel Noriega. Noriega and several top figures were forcibly removed, extradited to American courts on drug-trafficking and money laundering charges, and convicted.”
Maduro appeared in court with his wife and pleaded not guilty, saying, “I am innocent, I am not guilty, I’m a decent man.” Flores also pleaded not guilty.
The criminal case against Maduro was reopened in the Southern District of New York, following his indictment six years ago. After the arraignment, Maduro and Flores are scheduled for their next hearing on March 17.
