From Caracas to Brooklyn: Tracking Maduro's arrest in maps

UPDATED: Jan 5, 2026 20:48 IST

Just around 150 minutes, 150 aircraft and a seamless blend of air, sea and ground power were all it took for America’s elite counter-terrorism unit, Delta Force, to snatch Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. US President Donald Trump described it as “an assault like people have not seen since World War II”.

The pace of the operation surprised many around the world. So how did the mission lead to the dramatic arrest of Nicolas Maduro?

India Today OSINT team reconstructed the sequence using geolocation of social media footage, satellite imagery analysis and media reports, to build a clear timeline of America’s boldest attack on Venezuela.

Operation Absolute Resolve began with reports of explosions after midnight in Caracas and continued till dawn. Power to the city was cut with the aim was to disable Venezuela's air defences and shroud the city into darkness to allow the planes, drones and helicopters to approach undetected.

At least eight strategically important locations, including ports, military installations and airbases, were reportedly hit. These included the ports of Higuerote and La Guaira, airbases at La Carlota, Libertador, and Caharvalle.

At least one Russian-supplied BUK missile system was targeted and destroyed at the airbase in La Carlota in Caracas. In the southeast of the city, buildings that were part of a communications complex situated on top of El Volcan mountain were hit.

The most concentrated strikes were reported around the large military complex at Fuerte Tiuna, where the Venezuelan president was believed to be hiding.

Moments before his capture, Maduro attempted to enter a steel underground safe room inside the heavily fortified military complex. He made it past the door but was unable to close it, according to U.S. officials, and was seized on the ground by the US army's Delta Force.

Some Western media outlets reported that Maduro attempted to flee to an underground bunker at Fuerte Tiuna. Satellite images by US-based satellite company Vantor show a strike on a military installation located right next to the bunker.

The overview shows strikes at three separate locations inside the Fuerte Tiuna military complex.

Once in US custody, Nicolas Maduro and his wife were transported some 3,400km to New York City. They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed in the Caribbean.

What’s next for Venezuela?

The US President said on Saturday that the US would be making decisions on what’s next for Venezuela. “We can’t take a chance in letting somebody else run and just take over what he left, or left off,” Trump said.

As per Venezuelan constitution, the acting President Delcy Rodrguez is required to carry out fresh elections within 60 days.

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