Did the US use a "sonic weapon" in Venezuela?

Did the US really use a "sonic weapon" in the January 3 raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro?

An anonymous and unverified account was posted to social media, allegedly from a Venezuelan guard, claimed US forces used an invisible, sound-based weapon that caused nosebleeds, vomiting, and more to incapacitate hundreds of guards. The story spread rapidly online after being amplified on social media, raising questions about whether the United States employed a new or unusual weapon during the raid.

At this point, there is no public confirmation from the U.S. government that any sonic or directed-energy weapon was used. Task & Purpose has reached out to both the White House and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for comment, and we’ll update this reporting if and when we receive a response.

In this video, we break down:

– what the alleged eyewitness actually claims

– what is known — and not known — about the operation

– why the term “sonic weapon” is often misleading

– and which real, documented U.S. military systems people may be confusing this story with, including the Active Denial System (ADS), long-range acoustic devices (LRAD), and acoustic hailing and disruption concepts.

Written by: Kyle Gunn

Edited by: Kyle Gunn

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