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American officials assert the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader involved months of careful preparation, yet when the US President issued the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event in contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers belonging to an elite US army unit while they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured panic room, the pair are currently being held at a holding facility 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 military operation in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, was clear.

Pictures from the vast military base, an enormous army installation in which top government officials reside, show destroyed buildings and burned, smoking cars.

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

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started amid reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The goal was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach the target.

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

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew low over Caracas, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, but managed to continue flying, officials stated.

There was significant gunfire," the President noted.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

But, more details were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to make it to the door because our guys were too quick.

"It was an extremely heavy entryway, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."

But even if they had managed to enter 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 moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The operation was completed in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

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

They were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System on US Territory

That same day, a video emerged showing the detainee at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons 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," the Attorney General declared.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.