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American officials assert the military operation to capture Venezuela's leader took many weeks of planning, yet the moment the US President issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning strike on Saturday signified a historic incident in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers belonging to an elite US army unit while they tried to flee inside a fortified secure chamber, the couple are currently being held at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex where key officials live, show blasted structures and burned, smoking cars.

It was at this facility that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Order

The mission began amid reports of blasts at approximately 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

The aim was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations included the base, a port and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported how US military helicopters flew low above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however managed to continue flying, military leaders said.

"It was significant weapons fire," the President noted.

A Rapid Ground Assault

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

They gained access the facility at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, as per reports.

But, more details emerged. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it inside as our personnel were too quick.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System on US Territory

On Saturday, footage was released depicting the detainee inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.

Footage documents the leader's entry in US and journey into custody.