In a dramatic turn of events, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reportedly managed to shut the heavy steel door of a secure room just moments before U.S. Special Forces could capture him and his wife, Cilia. This revelation came to light on Saturday.

The intricate details of this bold military operation, one of the most daring in recent times, were shared by former U.S. President Donald Trump and his top advisers. They observed the intense two-hour and 28-minute mission live from a secure room at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida residence.

Following a period of careful planning and waiting for ideal weather conditions, Trump authorized the commencement of Operation Absolute Resolve. This command was issued at precisely 10:46 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday (11:46 PM in Venezuela, 3:46 AM in the UK), with Trump sending off the mission with a hopeful, “Good luck and Godspeed.”

According to Trump, Maduro was under heavy protection in a fortified bunker located at a military base in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. The base was described as being incredibly secure, akin to a fortress.

“The bunker featured what they term a safe space, surrounded by solid steel,” Trump explained. “Maduro attempted to secure himself within this space but was overwhelmed so quickly that he couldn’t fully close the door in time.”

‘It was a very thick door, a very heavy door. But he was unable to get to that door. He made it to the door but he was unable to close it.’ Soldiers from Delta Force – the US Army’s elite special operations unit – were equipped with blow torches to cut through the steel door in case Mr Maduro managed to lock himself in.

Mr Trump said: ‘He wasn’t able to shut the door because our guys were so fast.

‘Did we get him by surprise? Sort of surprise, but they were waiting for something. It was a lot of opposition. There was a lot of gunfire.’

President Donald Trump (centre) watches the military operation in Venezuela with CIA Director John Ratcliffe (left) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) from Mar-a-Lago resort

Caracas was plunged into darkness as the raid began. The US President said the extraction force had practised for months, adding: ‘They actually built a house which was identical to the one they went into with all that steel all over the place. They were ready for anything. Then we turned off all the lights.’

Mr Trump declined to reveal whether CIA spies on the ground who have been monitoring Maduro’s movements for months hijacked the power grid or launched a cyber attack.

He said: ‘The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have.’ General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, hailed the joint effort by US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Special Forces and intelligence agencies who ‘spent months’ on the operation, including studying Maduro’s movements, what he wore, what he ate, his children and even his pets.

He said: ‘This mission was meticulously planned. This was an audacious operation that only the United States could do, an extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the western hemisphere in close co-ordination, all coming together in time and place to create a layered effect all for a single purpose – to get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of surprise.’

Aircraft including F-18, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, Seahawk and Chinook helicopters, B-1 supersonic bombers and unmanned drones were launched from a fleet of more than a dozen US warships and the aircraft carrier the Gerald R. Ford, which have been off the Venezuelan coast since December. Aircraft were also deployed from US bases around the Caribbean.

The helicopters carrying Special Forces came from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment – nicknamed the Night Stalkers – and included MH-60 Seahawks and MH-47 Chinooks. Delta Force choppers flew just at 100ft above the sea as they approached Caracas, supported by fighter jets and bombers high above which bombed five military sites around the city to distract Venezuelan troops on the ground.

US forces reached the Venezuelan leader’s compound at 1.01am EST yesterday and were back over the sea returning to the USS Iwo Jima by 3.29am, although a Pentagon source said the ground firefight and capture of Maduro took less than 30 minutes.

Around a dozen Special Forces troops entered Maduro’s heavily guarded compound by ‘fast roping’ – deploying rapidly from helicopters by sliding down ropes – before facing heavy gunfire.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida on January 3

Nicolas Maduro (pictured) raced to close his a safe room seconds before he and wife Cilia were snatched by US Special Forces

There was then what a CIA source described as a ‘brutal’ firefight before special forces entered the area at Fort Tiuna where Mr Maduro and his wife – who are thought to have been wearing only their pyjamas – were trying to get into their safe space.

They had been asleep in another room, but were woken by gunfire. Once US soldiers reached the couple ‘they were taken out in a matter of seconds’ Mr Trump said, adding that two US soldiers ‘had non-threatening gunshot wounds’.

A helicopter was hit by ground fire but made it back to the USS Iwo Jima safely. General Caine said: ‘On arrival into the target area the helicopters came under fire and they replied to that fire with overwhelming force and self-defence. One of our aircraft was hit but remained flyable.

‘The force descended into Maduro’s compound and moved with speed, precision and discipline and isolated the area to ensure the safety and security of the ground force while apprehending the indicted persons.’

Maduro and his wife were bundled into a chopper that landed in the grounds of the compound.

They were then flown to the USS Iwo Jima and were arrested by FBI agents from the Southern District of New York, which released an indictment against Maduro and his wife on Saturday, citing narco-terrorism, cocaine smuggling and possession of machine guns.

The indictment was an updated version of one issued by a US grand jury in 2020.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said of Maduro: ‘He f***ed around and found out.’

A series of explosions on Saturday plunger Caracas into darkness on January 3

A handout picture made available by the White House Press Office shows the Venezuelan President blindfolded aboard USS Iwo Jima

Mr Trump said watching the raid unfold in real time was ‘brilliant’, adding: ‘I watched it literally like I was watching a television show. 

 ‘If you would’ve seen the speed, the violence, it was an amazing thing.’

A CIA source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It went off flawlessly.

‘We had agents on the ground gathering information since last summer, a fleet of stealth drones which have been monitoring Maduro and his cronies for months. We knew where he was at all times, when he ate and when he took a sh*t.’

Maduro and his wife were flown to New York on Saturday night, where they will be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Venezuela has yet to report whether any soldiers or civilians were killed in the raid, although one woman is said to have died.

Mr Trump warned that the US was prepared to mount a second-wave attack in Venezuela, but added: ‘We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not.’