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American officials state the military operation to capture the South American nation's president required months of careful preparation, yet the moment the US President issued the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning attack on Saturday represented a never-before-seen event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the arrest of Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers belonging to a top-tier American military force when they tried to flee inside a fortified safe room, the two are currently detained at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Assault against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's primary city, became apparent.

Photographs of the vast military base, an enormous military complex where key officials reside, reveal blasted buildings as well as burned, smouldering cars.

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

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Gives the Order

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

American forces cut power across the capital, the President later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for US military helicopters to get to the target.

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

Targeted sites included the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible for miles.

Venezuelans have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however managed to continue flying, officials stated.

"It was a lot of gunfire," the President noted.

The Rapid Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

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

But, more details emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get inside because our guys were too quick.

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

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

From Caracas to New York City

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

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 completed in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

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

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

Facing The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, footage was released showing the detainee inside the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

The couple are now being held at a federal holding facility within the city.

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

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Footage documents Maduro's arrival into American and journey into custody.