Months in planning, over in two and a half hours: how the US snatched Maduro

"But it was also months in the planning. Critical to Operation Absolute Resolve was the work of the CIA and other US intelligence agencies. From as early as August, their goal was to establish Maduro's pattern of life, or as Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the US joint chiefs of staff, described it, to understand how he moved, where he lived, where he travelled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets."

"As the US built up its military presence in the Caribbean from September, Maduro had tightened his personal security in an effort to evade capture. Gone were the well-trailed public speeches. He changed his sleeping location regularly using between six to eight places to spend the night, according to the New York Times. map of part of Venezuela The president also relied even more heavily on Cuban counterintelligence and bodyguards, more trusted than Venezuelans, with the latter not allowed to use mobile phones."

The US seized President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in two hours and 28 minutes during the early hours of Saturday. Operation Absolute Resolve followed months of CIA planning from August to map Maduro's pattern of life. Maduro changed sleeping locations frequently—reportedly six to eight sites—and leaned on Cuban counterintelligence and bodyguards barred from using mobile phones. CIA monitoring used spy drones and included a claimed human source inside the Venezuelan government, risking exposure and weakening successor confidence. US forces increased their Caribbean presence from September, including numerous navy warships and the arrival of the world's largest aircraft.

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