Capturing Maduro and Delta Force’s Long Success in Kidnapping Missions

In the late hours of January 2, 2025 and the early morning hours of January 3, 2025, the United States Military conducted an apprehension operation against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cecilia Maduro. This operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, involved a wide bevy of American conventional and Special Operations Forces. Over 150 aircraft were launched from across the Western Hemisphere with the sole goal of getting an interdiction force, made up largely of Delta Force, into downtown Caracas in order to capture Maduro.

That said, the Pentagon has confirmed that the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cecilia was undertaken by Delta Force. Delta Force was brought into Venezuela, it appears, by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Delta Force operators arrived into the Maduro compound at 0101 EST/0601 UTC/0201 Caracas time. One of the helicopters was hit as Delta Force ingressed into the compound but remained flyable.

Delta Force operators and the SOAR helicopters egressed from the compound and were over the water at 0329 EST/0829 UTC/0429 Caracas time. Maduro and his wife were subsequently embarked on the USS Iwo Jima and was over the war under the watch and suppressive fire of overhead tactical aircraft

It is reported that Maduro and his wife were taken into custody by the Department of Justice

While some members of the ground force are reported to have sustained shrapnel

At the Press Conference following the attack, American Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Maduro was indicted in the United in 2020, and that Maduro had been provided with several “generous” offers to leave the country.

While Delta Force were the door knockers who entered the compound and apprehended Maduro, he was officially arrested by American law enforcement officials, likely the DEA or the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, which Delta Force has worked with before,

At the very same press conference, Trump was asked if Maduro would have been killed if he had resisted, and answered in the affirmative. At the time of his capture, Maduro was attempting to flee to a safe room with a metal door, which he was apparently incapable of closing, but which President Trump reports that Delta Force broachers would have been able to blow up in 47 seconds. Comparing the operation to America’s assassinations of Soleimani and Al-Baghdadi, Trump noted that America was “winning, winning big,” and that Maduro’s capture and arrest is an embodiment of this,.

Secretary Rubio also noted that many of the men protecting Maduro, as well as much of the country’s intelligence service, was made up of Cubans,

Pattern of Life Analysis and Delta Force Capture Operations

Pattern of Life Analysis, a critical intelligence tradecraft technique, was intrinsic to Delta’s ability to capture Maduro and his wife.