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American officials state the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president required many weeks of planning, but the moment the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly 150 minutes.

The surprise pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked an unprecedented incident within modern politics and culminated in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Seized by troops from a top-tier American military force as they attempted to flee into a fortified safe room, the couple are currently detained in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, became apparent.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex where senior leadership reside, reveal bombed out structures as well as charred, smouldering cars.

It was at this compound that the president and first lady were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Before - Trump Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started amid reports of explosions around 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power across the capital, the President later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we successfully kept totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations included the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images show the complex on fire, with massive fires seen for miles.

Residents reported how American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

There was significant gunfire," the President added.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per reports.

However, further information were provided. They tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door as our personnel were so fast.

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

But even if they had succeeded to get into the safe room, forces could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From Caracas to New York City

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

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship where an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

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

They were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on American Soil

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

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held in a detention centre within the city.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

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