In a recent revelation, former President Donald Trump claimed that U.S. special forces employed a ‘secret sonic’ weapon during the high-profile operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking on Tuesday night, Trump expressed pride in the unique capabilities of the U.S. military, emphasizing that these sonic weapons are exclusive to American forces. During an interview with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich, Trump remained tight-lipped about the specifics, sparking curiosity and concern about the nature of these devices.

When questioned by Pavlich on whether Americans should fear these sonic tools, Trump candidly replied, “Well, yeah.” He asserted that the U.S. is the sole possessor of these advanced weapons, adding, “It’s something I don’t wanna … nobody else has it.” Trump went on to highlight the U.S. military’s impressive arsenal, hinting at other undisclosed technologies. Following Maduro’s capture, rumors began circulating that these enigmatic sonic weapons were instrumental in incapacitating the Cuban bodyguards tasked with his protection.

Further intrigue arose from an online report by an X account, suggesting that the sonic weapon left Venezuelan soldiers in dire straits, allegedly causing them to vomit blood. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt drew attention to this account on X, featuring an interview with an anonymous security guard who claimed to have witnessed the operation. Her post urged followers to “Stop what you are doing and read this…” punctuated by American flag emojis. The account detailed how the security guard described the weapon’s effects as a ‘very intense sound wave’ that effectively neutralized the Venezuelan forces.

Mike Netter, the vice chairman of Rebuild California, first shared in the days after the attack in an X post that received over 15 million views in a day, and he said the apparent use of the sonic weapon ‘explains a lot about why the tone across Latin America suddenly changed.’ ‘Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,’ the security guard reportedly said. ‘We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move. ‘We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was.’ Following reports of the weapons existence, Kremlin officials have demanded that the US provide more information about the sonic device.

Putin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said his government would begin investigating and obtaining more information regarding Trump’s remarks. Sonic weapons have been linked to the ‘Havana Syndrome’, a controversial disease which is yet to be formally recognized but has been put forward as an explanation for dozens of anomalous ailments hitting US officials. The condition was first documented in 2016, after officials said a localized sound wave caused symptoms including headaches, dizziness, nausea, cognitive impairment, memory lapses, balance issues and insomnia.

If the weapon system Trump is referring to is a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), then this device has been used by other country’s militaries all over the world, including Israel. An LRAD is a specialized loudspeaker that fires a concentrated beam of sound, rather than spraying noise in all directions like a typical bullhorn. LRADs are used by military, law enforcement and maritime security for communication, crowd control and defense against pirates. Capable of reaching up to 3.5 miles for voice, they can also emit excruciating sound at 160 decibels as a deterrent that can cause hearing loss.