US planning for the Maduro raid eyed a time when much of the Venezuelan military was expected to be on holiday, memo reveals

"US planning for the high-risk raid to apprehend Venezuela's former president, Nicolás Maduro, centered on a time when much of the country's military would be on holiday leave, a newly released memo reveals. The December 23 memorandum from the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel offers fresh details about how the US planned to pull off the daring nighttime raid to capture Maduro in his fortified compound and transport him to New York to stand trial. The former leader has pleaded not guilty to the drug and weapons charges he faces."

"The raid began late on January 2 and ran into the next day. President Donald Trump said on January 3 that the initial plan was for the operation to occur four days earlier, on December 30, but he decided to wait for better weather. "The expected duration of the operation within Venezuelan territory is [redacted] hours," wrote T. Elliot Gaiser, a US assistant attorney general, wrote in the late December DOJ memo, which looks into the legality of the raid and was made public this week. Much of the planning section is blacked out."

U.S. planning for a high-risk raid to apprehend Nicolás Maduro centered on timing when much of Venezuela's military would be on holiday leave. The operation was planned as a nighttime raid to capture Maduro in his fortified compound and transport him to New York to face drug and weapons charges. The operation's expected duration within Venezuelan territory was redacted. Planners initially delayed execution to wait for better weather. The strike was scheduled around 0100 am local time to minimize casualties. Dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel were reported killed after the operation.

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