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American officials assert their military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly two and a half hours.

The shocking pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked an unprecedented incident in contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest for Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by soldiers belonging to an elite American military force when they tried to flee inside a fortified panic room, the two are currently detained in a detention centre in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the scale of the military operation in the capital, the nation's primary city, was clear.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where key officials reside, depict blasted structures and burned, smoking vehicles.

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

Hours Before - Trump Gives the Command

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

American forces cut power across the capital, the President has since said, calling it "dark and deadly".

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", the top general commented.

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airport. Images depict the complex on fire, with massive fires visible for miles.

Venezuelans reported the way American choppers flew low above the city, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, however managed to continue flying, military leaders said.

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

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access the facility at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

However, more details were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured a very thick door, a massive door," the President told reporters. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, forces could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

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

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing Justice in US Territory

That same day, a video emerged showing the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

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

They face charges with planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows Maduro's arrival into American and transport into custody.