Delta Force (1st SFOD‑D) led a nighttime U.S. operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, President Trump confirmed. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (the "Night Stalkers") flew the teams into Venezuela, and witnesses reported explosions and low‑flying aircraft around 2 a.m. The CIA provided intelligence to the Department of Defense while special operations forces effected the arrest; Maduro and his wife were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and may be brought to New York for federal proceedings.
Inside Delta Force: How the Elite U.S. Army Unit Captured Nicolás Maduro
U.S. military personnel stand aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima while docked at Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 16, 2025.
President Donald Trump confirmed that Delta Force — the U.S. Army’s premier counterterrorism and direct-action unit — led a nighttime operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
What Is Delta Force?
Officially designated the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD‑D), Delta Force specializes in extremely high-risk missions that include seizing or eliminating high-value targets and conducting other sensitive operations that demand speed, secrecy and surgical precision. The unit answers to U.S. Special Operations Command and is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Delta Force is highly secretive: the exact size of the unit and the identity of its commander are classified. The unit has been linked to several major U.S. missions, including the 2003 operation that captured Saddam Hussein, and numerous counterterrorism raids in Afghanistan and the Middle East that targeted senior al‑Qaeda figures.
Smoke rises from Fort Tiuna, the main military garrison in Caracas, Venezuela, after multiple explosions were heard and aircraft swept through the area, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
The Venezuela Operation
Officials said helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment — the "Night Stalkers" — transported special operations teams into Caracas for the overnight raid. Witnesses reported low‑flying aircraft and heard at least seven explosions in the capital at about 2 a.m. local time.
U.S. intelligence agencies provided critical support. According to President Trump, the CIA supplied intelligence that helped Department of Defense planners locate Maduro and his wife, while U.S. special operations forces conducted the physical arrest. It remains unclear how many operators participated in the raid; officials have not disclosed exact figures.
Trump: "They rehearsed and practiced like nobody’s ever seen... I’ve never seen anything like it."
Trump also said Maduro was apprehended inside a fortified residence before he could reach a secure area. The president reported injuries during the operation but said there were no U.S. fatalities and no lost aircraft.
Maduro and his wife were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are expected to be transported to the United States.
Maduro and his wife were taken aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and, according to U.S. officials quoted in media reports, could be transported to the United States for federal proceedings in New York City.
Political Aftermath
News outlets and analysts have already begun discussing potential political successors in Venezuela. Opposition politician Maria Corina Machado has been named by some observers as a possible leading candidate in the wake of Maduro’s removal.
Note: Many operational details remain classified or unconfirmed. This article summarizes statements from U.S. officials and eyewitness reports available at the time of publication.
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