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American officials claim the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader took many weeks of planning, yet when the US President issued the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly 150 minutes.

The shocking pre-dawn strike this past weekend signified a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention of Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers from an elite US army unit when they tried to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are currently being held in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.

A Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the extent of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was evident.

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation in which senior leadership live, reveal bombed out buildings as well as charred, smouldering cars.

It was at this compound that the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández stated.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of explosions around 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable the nation's air defences and open up the path for US military helicopters to get to the target.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," the top general remarked.

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Pictures show the complex on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, however managed to continue flying, officials stated.

"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump added.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They entered the facility at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

But, more details emerged. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it to the door because our guys were too quick.

"It was a very thick door, a very heavy door," the President told reporters. He reached to the door. He could not to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the bunker, forces could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on US Territory

That same day, a video emerged depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to acquire such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.