Before dawn on a January morning, a tightly choreographed US operation unfolded in Caracas with little warning and no apparent resistance.
According to the New York Post, within hours, Venezuelaâs longtime strongman was in American custody â and President Donald Trump says a mysterious new weapon made it all possible.
In an exclusive interview with The Post, Trump revealed that a classified system he calls âThe Discombobulatorâ played a central role in the Jan. 3 raid that led to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Both were taken into custody on federal drug and weapons charges, according to Trump, without the loss of a single American life.
âThe Discombobulator. Iâm not allowed to talk about it,â Trump said from the Oval Office.
âI would love to,â the president added, before confirming that the weapon was deployed during the operation.
Trump said the technology effectively neutralized Maduroâs defenses as US helicopters moved into the capital.
âThey never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off,â he said. âWe came in, they pressed buttons, and nothing worked. They were all set for US.â
The presidentâs comments came as he was asked about reports that the Biden administration had purchased a pulsed energy weapon believed to be linked to the phenomenon known as âHavana Syndrome.â
While details about âThe Discombobulatorâ remain scarce, accounts from the ground in Venezuela described chaotic scenes among Maduroâs security forces during the raid.
One member of the former leaderâs guard team said their systems failed without warning.
âSuddenly, all our radar systems shut down without any explanation,â the guard recalled.
He said drones soon appeared overhead.
âThe next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didnât know how to react,â he said, adding that helicopters followed shortly after.
According to the witness, fewer than ten helicopters carried roughly 20 US troops into the area.
The guard said the weapon was then directed at Maduroâs defenders.
âAt one point, they launched something; I donât know how to describe it. It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly, I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,â he said.
âWe all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move. We couldnât even stand up after that sonic weapon â or whatever it was.â
Maduro, 63, is now being held in a federal jail in Brooklyn as he awaits trial on narcoterrorism charges. His former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has since assumed the role of Venezuelaâs interim leader.
âWe have a great relationship with the new president,â Trump said. âSheâs been terrific.â