U.S. military planners timed a cyberattack that cut power across large parts of Caracas in the early hours of Jan. 3 to support a pre-dawn raid to capture Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro while limiting risks to civilians, according to a new report from The New York Times based on accounts from U.S. officials briefed on the operation.
The blackout was part of a broader effort that combined cyberoperations with air and ground forces, allowing U.S. helicopters and aircraft to approach undetected. Officials said the Pentagon demonstrated not only the ability to disable parts of a city's power grid, but also to restore electricity quickly, reducing the chance of widespread disruption.
Most residents lost power only briefly, though some neighborhoods near the military base where Maduro was seized were without electricity for up to 36 hours, NYT explains.
Medical workers reported no known fatalities in hospitals or other facilities that rely on constant power, such as intensive care units or maternity wards. Officials said the timing—before dawn, when most people were asleep—was chosen in part to limit civilian exposure. Years of recurring blackouts had also led many hospitals to install backup generators, further reducing risks.
U.S. officials said cybertools were also used to interfere with air-defense radar, helping maintain what the military described as tactical surprise. The operation enabled helicopters carrying elite U.S. forces to reach Maduro's compound, where he was detained and later flown to the United States to face federal drug trafficking charges.
President Trump alluded to the cyberoperation hours after the raid, saying, "It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have." A spokeswoman for U.S. Cyber Command later said the agency was "proud to support Operation Absolute Resolve" and was prepared to execute presidential orders.
The blackout and raid are expected to face scrutiny on Capitol Hill in the upcoming days. Senators have received classified briefings and are set to question Pentagon and cyber officials during upcoming confirmation hearings, including that of Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, President Trump's nominee to lead U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency.
Details emerging after the capture show that the Jan. 3 operation capped months of intelligence work. A clandestine CIA team had entered Venezuela last year to track Maduro's movements, gathering information that helped planners identify a narrow window for action. Pentagon officials waited for favorable weather and confirmation of Maduro's location before moving forward.
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