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The Colombian news outlet Noticias Caracol reconstructed the military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3rd in Caracas.
The investigative journalism, supported by satellite images, exclusive videos, and 3D technology, details minute by minute how the operation led by U.S. forces was carried out.
According to the report, the mission —called "Operation Absolute Resolution"— was coordinated from the operational base of Southern Command in Florida and received support from Colombian intelligence units and the Venezuelan opposition.
The images show the entry of unmanned aircraft into Venezuelan airspace shortly after 2:00 a.m. (local time), followed by the landing of Black Hawk helicopters in the vicinity of Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas.
Sources cited by the medium indicated that the main objective was to capture Maduro alive and immediately transfer him out of the country.
In less than 25 minutes, Delta forces secured the perimeter, disabled communications at the Miraflores Palace, and took control of the main access points without recording any civilian casualties.
The reconstruction shows that at 2:47 a.m., a specialized team broke into the presidential residence. Maduro and Cilia Flores were detained in an inner room while trying to communicate with their security team and access a bunker.
The operation was monitored in real time from Washington by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Subsequently, the detainees were transferred aboard a U.S. military plane that took off from an improvised runway on the central coast.
The operation officially concluded at 4:12 a.m., when the elite forces exited the Venezuelan airspace heading towards U.S. territory.
Military experts consulted by Noticias Caracol described the operation as one of the fastest and most precise in recent history, comparing it to the mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011.
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