US hints at cyber role in Venezuela power outage during Caracas operation

The US may have used cyber or advanced technology capabilities to disrupt electricity and communications in Venezuela’s capital during a dramatic operation that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, according to remarks by US President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, Trump suggested that US forces used technical expertise to disable power in Caracas ahead of the operation.

“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.

Maduro and his wife were taken into US custody during the operation and transferred to New York, where they are expected to face federal charges.

Maduro has denied wrongdoing. The White House has not released detailed information about the legal basis or mechanics of the operation.

Pentagon references “layered effects”

General Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during the same press conference – first reported by Politico – that US Cyber Command, US Space Command, and other combatant commands “began layering different effects” to “create a pathway” for US forces entering Venezuela early on Saturday.

Caine did not go into detail as to what those “effects” involved. Spokespeople for the White House, US Cyber Command, and US Space Command did not respond to requests for comment, Politico reported.

If cyber operations were involved, it would mark one of the rare public acknowledgements of US cyber capabilities being used directly against another nation’s infrastructure, operations that are typically classified.

Outages confirmed by independent monitors

Independent monitoring ground confirmed disruptions to power and connectivity in the Venezuelan capital during the operation.

Global internet monitoring organization Netblocks reported a loss of internet connectivity in Caracas early Saturday, coinciding with power cuts.

Netblocks also posted publicly on X that connectivity data showed significant disruption during the period of reported power loss.

Prior attack on Venezuela's state oil company

Saturday’s events follow earlier accusations by Venezuela's state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA), which last month claimed it had been targeted by a cyberattack that it blamed on the US.

In a statement released on 15 December, PDVSA said the attack caused operational delays but did not halt production, accusing Washington of attempting to undermine Venezuela's energy sector amid heightened US pressure on the Maduro government.

The US government has not publicly confirmed involvement in those alleged incidents.

Broader US justification cited

US officials have repeatedly cited drug trafficking, organized crime, and cyber-enabled financial fraud as part of the broader rationale for sustained pressure on Venezuela, though they have not publicly linked those issues to Saturday’s operation.

Earlier last month, US law-enforcement agencies arrested more than 50 people, including a celebrity model/DJ, across multiple states in connection with ATM “jackpotting” schemes, a technique in which malware is used to force cash machines to dispense money.

Investigators said those arrested were linked to the Venezuelan criminal network Tren de Aragua.

Speculation of UK involvement unsubstantiated

Speculation circulating on social media platforms, including X, initially suggested possible involvement by the United Kingdom in cyber or technical aspects of the Venezuela operation.

VX-Underground, which claims to be the world's largest online repository of malware samples, source code, and cybersecurity papers, first brought reports of UK involvement to light, but later claimed that it “appears it was misinformation online.”

However, no primary reporting or official documentation has substantiated claims of UK involvement.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has denied any British role in Saturday’s attacks, and neither US nor UK officials have indicated that the United Kingdom participated in cyber or military actions against Venezuela.

However, Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, refused to be drawn on whether or not US military action against Venezuela may have broken international law.

In an interview with the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on Saturday morning, the prime minister did not condemn the US strikes.

He said he was waiting to establish all the facts but would not "shy away from this," adding he was a "lifelong advocate of international law."

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