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American officials state the military operation to capture Venezuela's president required months of careful preparation, however the moment Donald Trump issued the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike on Saturday signified a historic incident in contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by troops from a top-tier American military force as they tried to escape into a heavily secured safe room, the pair are now in custody at a holding facility in New York and face narco-terrorism accusations.

A Dawn Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the magnitude of the military operation in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Pictures from the vast military base, a huge military complex where key officials reside, depict blasted structures as well as burned, smouldering cars.

It was at this facility where the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Before - Trump Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of blasts at about 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to disable the nation's air defences and open up the path for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

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

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Pictures show the complex on fire, with huge flames visible for miles.

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

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however managed to continue flying, officials stated.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

A Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per accounts.

However, further information emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

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

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the safe room, troops could have blown it open in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The team was completed "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

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

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

Facing Justice in US Territory

On Saturday, a video was released showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

The couple are now being held in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

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