A newly disclosed Pentagon-funded device linked by some investigators to Havana Syndrome has collided with dramatic eyewitness claims from Venezuela, fueling online speculation about what the US may have used to capture President Nicolás Maduro.
CNN reported this week that the Defense Department has spent more than a year testing a device purchased in an undercover operation by Homeland Security Investigations. The device, bought for an eight-figure sum, emits pulsed radio waves and is portable enough to fit inside a backpack, according to people briefed on the testing.
The report reignited debate around Havana Syndrome, a series of unexplained health incidents affecting US diplomats, intelligence officers, and troops since 2016. Some officials believe pulsed electromagnetic energy could plausibly explain a subset of those cases, though the intelligence community has publicly said a foreign attack remains unlikely.
BREAKING:
The intelligence expert and Sasha Ingber writes that that the U.S. has captured a device believed to be linked to Havana Syndrome.
She writes that 4 sources (including two familiar with U.S. special operations) have informed her that the U.S. acquired the weapon “a… pic.twitter.com/RE8D7CONQn
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 13, 2026
Separately, Venezuelan and international outlets reported that US forces carried out a large-scale operation in Caracas on January 3, capturing Maduro and flying him to the United States. Venezuelan authorities said around 100 members of the country’s security forces were killed during the raid.
In reporting cited by RBC Ukraine, witnesses loyal to Maduro claimed US forces used an “unknown weapon” during the operation that left guards dizzy, vomiting, and unable to stand. The outlet said the weapon rendered defenders combat-ineffective before US troops reached the Miraflores Palace.
The New York Post published a first-person account from a Venezuelan guard who said US troops deployed something he described as “a very intense sound wave.”
WAS “HAVANA SYNDROME” WEAPON USED DURING MADERO CAPTURE? Fresh claims surrounding the high-risk US operation in Venezuela have surfaced, with eyewitness account alleging the use of an unknown and highly advanced weapon. https://t.co/GZbunDb1Vl pic.twitter.com/8ahVYFtbZk
— david barbelo (@DavidBarbelo) January 13, 2026
“Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,” the guard told the outlet. “We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.”
The Post quoted a former US intelligence source who said directed energy weapons can cause symptoms including bleeding, pain, and loss of motor function, adding that versions of such systems have existed for decades. The source stopped short of confirming what was used in Venezuela.
US officials have not acknowledged deploying any non-conventional weapons during the operation. The Pentagon has not linked the Havana Syndrome-related device to battlefield use, and no official statement has connected it to the Maduro raid.
🇺🇸📡🇻🇪Havana Syndrome Weapon Used in Venezuela? Fears Grow After Shock US Raid and Eerie Echoes of a Shadowy Illness
❗️Explosive claims that the United States deployed a mysterious “sonic” or directed-energy weapon during its dramatic raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas… pic.twitter.com/3nKwPurpFv
— Real Global News (@FelastoryMedia) January 11, 2026
Still, the timing of the CNN report has driven intense online speculation. Social media users shared side-by-side links to the Pentagon device story and the Venezuelan eyewitness accounts, questioning whether the same technology could be involved.
“So THAT’S the sonic mystery weapon the U.S. used during the raid on Maduro,” one widely shared post claimed, linking to the CNN report. Another netizen also took to X saying, “Hmm after reading the account of the Maduro capture mission, is this what they used” before also citing the CNN story.
Others echoed similar theories, pointing to overlapping symptoms such as dizziness, head pressure, vomiting, and disorientation.
So THAT’S the sonic mystery weapon the U.S. used during the raid on Maduro, the Havana Syndrome device.@michaelshermer@MickWesthttps://t.co/GViL4Od08s
— Gaza Sucks 📟 (@GazaSucks) January 13, 2026
There is no evidence confirming those claims. What exists instead are two unresolved threads: a covertly acquired device still under Pentagon study, and battlefield accounts from Venezuela describing effects that sound uncomfortably familiar to those who have followed Havana Syndrome for years.
For victims of anomalous health incidents, the overlap has been hard to ignore. For US officials, the questions surrounding both stories remain officially unanswered — and for now, unconnected.
