Did Trump Commit a War Crime by Using Sonic Weapons to Capture Nicolás Maduro?

The U.S. military captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a raid on Jan. 3, 2026, in an operation ordered by Donald Trump. The president was widely criticized for the raid, which he claims was to stop Maduro from trafficking cocaine into the country. However, he has since said that U.S. oil companies will control Venezuela's substantial oil resources.

Reports that Trump's military forces used sonic weapons in the raid have people wondering if they are considered a war crime. As it turns out, the answer is slightly complicated.

Following Maduro's capture, questions about the military operation have arisen, including whether the military used sonic weapons in the raid. Sonic weapons, such as the LRADs (Long-Range Acoustic Devices), deliver loud, painful warnings that can cause harm such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, and sometimes permanent hearing loss.

The use of sonic weapons is not a war crime, but they are controversial due to their long-term effects. According to the ACLU, they were created in the 1990s for crowd control.

International Humanitarian Law (IHL) rules against using weapons during war that cause "superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering," and are considered a war crime if used.

Maduro's guards revealed that the U.S. used sonic weapons during the raid in Caracas, according to News 24. The leader's guards, who protected the Venezuelan leader and First Lady Cilia Flores, said they vomited blood due to the sonic weapons and quickly became incapacitated to the point that they couldn't return fire while being attacked.

"We were on guard when suddenly all our radar systems went offline," said one guard. "We saw drones moving in on our position, and before we could respond, our soldiers started feeling nauseous, some had nose bleeds, others started vomiting blood, fell to the ground, completely paralyzed."

“The sheer suddenness ensured Venezuelan army had no chance to respond, the guard added. "American soldiers were firing with deadly accuracy and speed. It seemed every soldier was firing over 300 rounds per minute."

Trump announced that the U.S. was now in charge of Venezuela, but the international community criticized his blatant disregard for international law. The leaders of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, and Uruguay issued a joint statement following the raid.

"We express our deep concern and rejection of the military actions carried out unilaterally in the territory of Venezuela, which contravene fundamental principles of international law," read the joint statement, according to . "Such actions set an extremely dangerous precedent for regional peace and security and for the rules-based international order, in addition to endangering the civilian population."

According to CBS News, when the president was asked if he would also be targeting Colombia for military operations, a country he accused Maduro of collaborating with to traffic drugs into the U.S., Trump replied, "Sounds good to me." He also said that Colombian President Gustavo Petro is "a very sick man."