Trump claims secret ‘Discombobulator’ weapon helped capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

US President, Donald Trump, has claimed that American forces used a secret weapon he referred to as a discombobulator during the operation that led to the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro earlier this month. Speaking in an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he was not permitted to discuss details of the weapon but suggested it rendered enemy equipment inoperable during the operation.The discombobulator, Im not allowed to talk about it, Trump said, adding that it made [enemy] equipment not work. However, a senior US official has cast doubt on the existence of such a weapon, suggesting the president may have been conflating multiple military tools and capabilities rather than referring to a single device.According to the official, US forces employed cyber capabilities during the operation to disable Venezuelan early-warning systems and other defence infrastructure. Acoustic systems were also reportedly used to disorient personnel on the ground. The US military has long possessed a non-lethal directed-energy weapon known as the Active Denial System (ADS), sometimes referred to as a heat ray. While it remains unclear whether ADS was deployed during the operation, the system uses electromagnetic waves to create an intense heating sensation on the skin, forcing individuals to move away from the beam.Reports that ADS can reach targets more than half a mile away and is designed to disperse crowds without causing permanent injury. Days after Maduros capture, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted comments allegedly made by a Venezuelan security guard who claimed US forces launched something resembling a powerful sound wave during the operation. The guard alleged that he and others experienced severe physical effects, including intense head pain, nosebleeds and vomiting blood, leaving them unable to move.  The January 3 operation began with coordinated strikes across Venezuela that disabled radar, communications and air-defence systems, paving the way for US helicopters to enter Venezuelan airspace. Air Force General Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 150 aircraft including bombers, fighter jets and intelligence and surveillance platforms were deployed from roughly 20 land- and sea-based locations.Experts believe one-way attack drones were also used during strikes in the coastal city of Higuerote, a key location for Venezuelan air-defence installations. Video footage from the operation shows intense gunfire as US forces landed inside Fort Tiuna, a major military complex in Caracas. Military analysts say the sounds are consistent with MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters firing 30-millimetre autocannons.The precise location within Fort Tiuna where Maduro was captured, as well as full operational details, have not been publicly disclosed.The post Trump claims secret Discombobulator weapon helped capture Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.