How the US captured Nicolas Maduro in 2 hours and 20 minutes

For a country as powerful as the United States, it took just two hours and 20 minutes to enter a hostile nation, capture its President and the first lady from their bedroom, and exit swiftly.

In an unprecedented military operation codenamed ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’, the US special forces on Saturday captured Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their Caracas safe house.

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The United States military had been preparing for this highly secretive mission for months as CIA spies were deployed to monitor the Venezuelan President’s every move.

According to reports, a US team of spies – which also included a mole within the Venezuelan government – tracked where Maduro slept, what he ate, and what he wore. Even his pets were under the US watch.

However, the mission to go inside and capture him was planned in early December last year and codenamed “Operation Absolute Resolve”. Before launching the operation, the US special forces had conducted multiple rehearsals at a classified facility, creating a replica of Maduro’s Caracas safe house, reported the BBC.

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Secrecy at the highest level

The meticulously planned operation was kept under wraps until it was actually carried out. The Trump administration didn’t even consult Congress in a bid to avoid leaks and maximise the element of surprise.

Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “This operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, was discreet, precise, and… the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal — an operation that, frankly, only the United States military could undertake.” pic.x.com/VdcL5kbu7j

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026

“Over the weeks through Christmas and New Year, the men and women of the United States military sat ready, patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met and the president to order us into action,” General Dan Caine of the US military said during a press briefing on Saturday.

US President Trump initially gave his go-ahead four days earlier, but the forces waited for suitable weather conditions. On Friday, US President Trump gave the final order to begin the operation. “We were going to do this four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, and then all of a sudden it opened up. And we said: go,” Trump told Fox & Friends.

More than 150 US aircraft, including bombers, fighter jets, surveillance planes and helicopters, were deployed. One aircraft sustained damage but remained operational, and all US assets returned safely.