What is the sonic weapon that Trump admitted to using in Maduro raid in Venezuela?

US President Donald Trump just keeps making headlines.

Trump has now claimed that the US used ‘sonic weapons’ as part of the raid to capture Venezuela’s long-time leader Nicolás Maduro.

“It’s something I don’t wanna… nobody else has it,” Trump said. “But we have weapons nobody else knows about. And I say it’s probably good not to talk about it, but we have some amazing weapons.”

“That was an amazing attack,” Trump added.

The development comes as Havana syndrome is back in the news nearly a decade after US diplomats in Cuba began experiencing neurological symptoms that could not be explained.

But what do we know about these sonic weapons?

Let’s take a closer look.

What are sonic weapons?

Sonic weapons are known as Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs). These devices emit sound waves such as extra-loud noises or very high-frequency sound to incapacitate people. While regular sound waves get weaker the further away you are from the object, these LRADs can ‘fire’ signals up to a kilometre away.

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They are thought to be able to reach a maximum volume of 150 or 160 decibels. For comparison, a fighter jet engine at take-off is around 130 decibels, a usual conversation is around 60 decibels and a crying baby is around 80 decibels. Anything over 100 decibels is considered uncomfortable to the human ear. Noise levels over 120 decibels can cause pain to human beings as the acoustic waves hit the eardrum.

Sonic weapons are also called ‘acoustic handcuffs’, which is what happens when humans cover their ears. Such weapons can also leave people with permanent hearing damage or tinnitus.

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Such sound cannons or devices are said to be used by militaries and police forces around the world. According to Slashgear.com, the US military deployed LRADs during the Iraq war. Audio producer Cory Choy told Popular Mechanics that LRAD was like “the sound equivalent of looking into the sun … horrible, nauseating pain.”

However, authorities routinely deny use of such weapons. A prominent example of this was in Serbia in 2024 when citizens accused the government of using a sonic weapon to break up a massive protest from the streets of Belgrade.

Videos on social media showed protestors quietly standing in silence. Then, a whooshing sound is heard, after which people flee in a panic. Serbia’s interior ministry and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić denied the use of any such weapons.

Sonic weapons have been used to ward off Somali pirates, by police in Greece to stop migrants from coming in. In 2009, US police used LRAD to disperse crowds protesting the G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

In Cuba, US and Canadian diplomats said they heard strange sounds and got sick in 2016 and 2017. They experienced health issues such as hearing loss, vertigo and trouble sleeping. Others suffered concussions. Vienna and Berlin also complained of similar issues. This phenomenon was dubbed the ‘Havana Syndrome’ and led many to wonder whether Cuban authorities had access to a sonic weapon.

However, others dismissed such claims as ‘mass hysteria’. Some have contended that this could have been caused by equipment trying to spy on diplomats’ and visitors’ communications via phone or in person.

Was a sonic weapon used in Venezuela?

A viral social media post claimed that during the US military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, American forces used a mysterious ‘sonic weapon’.

According to an interview with a Venezuelan guard, this supposed weapon caused defenders to bleed from their noses, vomit, and become disoriented, which aided US troops in taking control easily.

“…I don’t know how to describe it… it was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move,” the security guard said. “Those twenty men, without a single casualty, killed hundreds of us. We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons. I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it. We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was.”

“I’m sending a warning to anyone who thinks they can fight the United States. They have no idea what they’re capable of. After what I saw, I never want to be on the other side of that again. They’re not to be messed with,” the soldier concluded.

Firstpost has not independently verified these claims.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reshared the social media post, telling followers to “stop what you are doing and read this.”

The United States has declined to comment.

“To protect operations security, we don’t have any information to provide beyond the Chairman’s remarks at the January 3 briefing,” a Pentagon spokesperson told TWZ.

Experts remain sceptical despite Trump’s claims.

The War Zone’s Joseph Trevithick wrote that it “should be reiterated that there is currently no evidence to substantiate the claim that the US military used a ‘sonic weapon’ during Operation Absolute Resolve. At the same time, this is hardly the first time American forces are alleged to have employed mysterious, less-than-lethal, and/or non-kinetic capabilities.”

However, he added that “if any unit would have an exotic directed-energy weapon used to disable adversaries during an assault, it would be Delta Force.”

With inputs from agencies