U.S. Accused of Using ‘Mysterious Weapon’ in Venezuela during Maduro Kidnapping

An anonymous Venezuelan security guard has claimed that U.S. forces used a “mysterious weapon” during a January 3 operation in Caracas that allegedly led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

According to a New York Post report published on January 10, the guard said Venezuelan radar systems abruptly shut down before drones appeared overhead, followed by helicopters and a small number of U.S. troops.

“We were on guard, but suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation,” the guard said. “Then we saw drones, a lot of drones. We didn’t know how to react.”

He described the incident as a massacre rather than a battle. “We were hundreds, but we had no chance,” he said, alleging U.S. troops fired with extreme precision and speed.

The guard claimed a weapon unlike anything he had experienced was then deployed. “They launched something…I don’t know how to describe it,” he said. “It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside.”

“We all started bleeding from the nose,” he added. “Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.”

Some social media users questioned the Venezuelan guard’s claims due to the lack of verifiable sources and official confirmation from either Caracas or Washington.

The interview, shared by a Trump supporter on X, drew more than 25 million views. The post did not identify the guard, name the interviewer, or provide independent verification.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt shared the post online, urging users to read it, but did not comment on its authenticity, according to the New York Post. No official confirmation has been issued by Washington.

Citing a former U.S. intelligence source, the newspaper reported that the U.S. military has possessed directed-energy weapons for years, using focused energy such as microwaves or lasers. The source said such weapons can cause bleeding, pain, loss of mobility, and burns

Microwave weapons are designed to disrupt electronic systems or affect the brain’s temporal lobe without passing through the ears and can penetrate metal and concrete, allowing covert use.

Similar claims have surfaced elsewhere. During a 2020 border standoff with India, Professor Jin Canrong of Renmin University said Chinese forces used microwave weapons. “When microwaves were fired from the mountain base, the summit became like a microwave oven. Indian troops on the high ground vomited and collapsed within 15 minutes, forcing a retreat,” he was quoted as saying by The Chosun Daily.

Directed-energy weapons have also been linked in public debate to “Havana syndrome,” first reported by U.S. diplomats and intelligence personnel in Havana, Cuba, in 2016. Affected individuals reported sudden piercing sounds or intense pressure sensations, dizziness, hearing loss, balance problems, memory loss, and cognitive difficulties. Early speculation centered on a “sonic weapon,” but subsequent analysis challenged that theory, with some scientists later suggesting recorded sounds were consistent with amplified cricket calls rather than an attack.

In 2020, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that directed pulsed radiofrequency energy was the most plausible explanation for the symptoms. In April 2024, a joint investigation by The Insider, Der Spiegel, and CBS’s 60 Minutes alleged that Russia’s GRU Unit 29155 may have been present near suspected incidents worldwide, an allegation Moscow denied. A later U.S. intelligence community assessment concluded it was “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible for the majority of cases, though some agencies expressed varying confidence levels, and the U.S. government has not officially blamed Russia or Cuba. Cuban officials have consistently denied any involvement.