NYT: Pentagon blacked out Caracas to enable Maduro capture

A cyberattack that plunged Venezuela’s capital into darkness earlier this month demonstrated the Pentagon’s ability not only to shut down power but also to restore it, US officials briefed on the operation, The New York Times reports.

The January 3 mission was one of the most public demonstrations of US offensive cyber-capabilities in recent years, highlighting how, against a country like Venezuela with limited cyber defences, the United States can deploy precise and powerful digital weapons.

Officials said the military also interfered with Venezuelan air defence radar, though the country’s most powerful radar was nonfunctional. Turning off the lights and disrupting radar enabled US helicopters to move undetected during a mission that ultimately captured President Nicolás Maduro, who has now been brought to the United States to face drug charges.

Senators on the Armed Services Committee plan to question Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, President Trump’s nominee to lead US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, about the operation during his confirmation hearing on January 15. General Rudd, currently deputy head of Indo-Pacific Command and a longtime special operations commander, would oversee an agency that has seen senior officials forced out after scrutiny from Laura Loomer, the far-right activist and Trump ally.

“It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have, it was dark, and it was deadly,” Trump said in a news conference hours after the raid. A spokeswoman for US Cyber Command later said the agency “was proud to support Operation Absolute Resolve” and emphasized that it is equipped to carry out presidential orders at any time.

The blackout lasted only minutes for most residents, though neighborhoods near the military base experienced outages up to 36 hours. Experts noted that Caracas’ hospitals, many equipped with backup generators, avoided fatalities in critical areas such as maternity wards and intensive care units.

The operation recalls earlier claims by the Maduro government, which in 2019 accused the United States of causing a weeklong nationwide blackout. At the time, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied US involvement, attributing the outage to Cuban engineering. Experts noted that Venezuela’s unreliable grid, poor maintenance, and isolated incidents, including a brush fire under power lines, likely caused prior blackouts.

By Vafa Guliyeva