‘Maduro tried to escape into a steel safe room but couldn’t close the door’: Inside the tense moments of US operation in Venezuela

As the US releases more details of the dangerous pre-dawn military operation that saw  the US commandos swoop in and capture the Venezuelan head of state Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, it has emerged that the Venezuelan head of state made a last-ditch effort to escape the commandos but was outrun by the highly-skilled soldiers.

According to reports, a private phone call ensued between Trump and Maduro a week  ago, where Trump emphatically told the latter that he had to quit. Trump claims that Maduro “came close” to giving in, but decided to stay. By then, the US warships were almost on Venezuela’s shores, and the CIA team had already entered the country, tracking Maduro, including his movements, habits, house, what he wore, and even his pets.

The plan to evict Maduro by force was set in motion around 10:46 p.m. ET on Friday when Trump gave the final order. Over 150 military aircraft, including drones, fighter planes, and bombers, took off from 20 different military bases and Navy ships.

The elite troops had already studied the Maduro’s presidential compound quite well, using a replica based on intelligence that the US had gathered. This was quite similar to the operation they carried out in Abbottabad, Pakistan, to take out Osama bin Laden.

The US had already cut the electricity in Caracas to gain an edge in the battle, and an aircraft blew up Venezuela’s air defense systems, clearing a path for the helicopters. The large military complex in Fort Tiuna was on fire.

By 1 a.m. ET Saturday, U.S. soldiers landed at the “heavily fortified military fortress” in Caracas, where Maduro  was staying. Within three minutes, the commandos blew open the main door to move through the building to Maduro’s location.

There was firing as they arrived, and American helicopters were hit, but not to the extent of being unable to fly.

As the Special Operations forces made it through the compound to Maduro’s room, the Venezuelan leader and his wife tried to escape into a steel-reinforced room. Maduro had been relying on Cuban bodyguards to protect himself.

“He was trying to get to a safe place,” Mr. Trump said during the news conference. “It was a very thick door, a very heavy door. But he was unable to get to that door. He made it to the door, but he was unable to close it,” the US President added.

Even if he managed to close the door, the commandos had carried “massive blowtorches” and trained themselves to use them to cut through the steel walls in Maduro’s safe room.

About five minutes after entering the building, Delta Force reported that they had  Maduro in custody.