An unverified witness account from the January 3 U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro describes the deployment of a powerful acoustic or directed‑energy weapon that reportedly caused severe symptoms among Venezuelan troops, drawing comparisons to advanced military technology previously tested by U.S. forces.

According to the account circulated by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on social media, a Venezuelan security guard loyal to Maduro said that during the U.S. assault a mysterious device emitting what he described as a “very intense sound wave” struck Venezuelan soldiers. The guard claimed the effects were immediate and debilitating: soldiers began bleeding from the nose, some vomited blood, and many collapsed, rendered unable to stand or resist American forces even before conventional engagements began. :

The witness described the sequence of events: radar systems allegedly shut down without explanation, a swarm of drones appeared overhead, and a small contingent of roughly 20 U.S. troops arrived by helicopter and overwhelmed hundreds of defenders with overwhelming precision and technology “unlike anything we’ve fought before.” He said the sound‑like weapon compounded the shock, incapacitating defenders amid rapid dominance by U.S. forces. 

Although no official U.S. confirmation has been published regarding the use of a sonic or directed‑energy weapon in the operation, the testimony has sparked broad speculation about advanced capabilities. Directed‑energy and acoustic deterrent systems, such as Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs), have been studied and fielded for years by U.S. and allied militaries for crowd control and area denial, though the severity of symptoms described would far exceed typical non‑lethal applications of publicly acknowledged systems. 

The alleged effects — intense internal pressure, bleeding, disorientation, and collapse — align with descriptions from observers of high‑intensity acoustic or focused energy devices, even though the specific technology used (if any) in the operation remains unverified. Venezuela’s Interior Ministry reported that at least 100 of its security personnel were killed in the raid, but it has not officially attributed causes of death to any particular technology.

The report of a sonic‑like weapon drew attention because it hearkens back to earlier demonstrations of acoustic devices within U.S. military testing environments. In 2013, reporter Peter Doocy tested a non‑lethal acoustic device at the Marine Corps’ Joint Non‑Lethal Weapons Directorate in Quantico, Virginia, describing the sensation as akin to an overheated hair dryer in a bathtub — a painful but contained experience. 

While Doocy’s encounter involved an acknowledged acoustic system intended for crowd control and human deterrence, the Venezuelan account suggests effects far beyond known LRAD systems, feeding broader curiosity and analysis about how emerging directed‑energy or acoustic technologies might be adapting to modern special operations. Official U.S. military sources have not commented on whether such systems were used in the Maduro raid, leaving the claims unconfirmed but widely discussed in global security circles.