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The US claim the military operation to capture the South American nation's president took many weeks of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump gave the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately 150 minutes.

The unexpected early-morning assault this past weekend signified a historic incident in modern politics and culminated in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by troops from a top-tier US army unit as they tried to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are now detained at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism indictments.

A Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, was clear.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous army installation in which key officials live, show blasted structures and charred, smoking cars.

It was at this facility where the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of blasts at approximately 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, Trump has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable the nation's air defences and open up the path for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations included the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures show the complex on fire, with huge flames visible for miles.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, officials said.

There was significant gunfire," the President added.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" 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 secure room is all steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick door, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Confronting Justice on American Soil

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

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

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to acquire machine guns and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.