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American officials state their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president took months of planning, yet when Donald Trump issued the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly 150 minutes.

The unexpected early-morning assault on Saturday signified a historic incident in modern politics and culminated in the detention for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by soldiers from a top-tier US army unit when they attempted to flee into a heavily secured safe room, the couple are currently in custody at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, was evident.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous army installation in which senior leadership live, show bombed out structures and burned, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this base that the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Just Moments Earlier - The President Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of blasts at about 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

The objective was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the way for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames seen for miles.

Residents reported how American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, but were still able to fly, officials said.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

The Rapid Ground Assault

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 "gave up" without a struggle, as per accounts.

However, further information emerged. They attempted to flee into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door because our guys were so fast.

"It was a very thick door, a massive door," the President informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to close it."

But even if they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

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

Confronting The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting Maduro inside the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

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

They face charges including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to possess such weapons and bombs against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.

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