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American officials state their military operation to capture Venezuela's president took months of planning, but the moment the US President gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about 150 minutes.

The unexpected early-morning assault on Saturday represented a never-before-seen event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops from an elite American military force while they tried to escape inside a fortified safe room, the pair are now in custody at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Pictures from the vast military base, an enormous army installation in which top government officials live, reveal destroyed buildings and burned, smoking vehicles.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández stated.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of explosions at about 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, Trump later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

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

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

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew low above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, officials said.

There was significant weapons fire," Trump noted.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They gained access the facility at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, as per reports.

However, further information were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

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

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

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the bunker, forces could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was back in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship that an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on US Territory

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

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns 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 declared.

Video documents Maduro's arrival in US and journey into custody.