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American officials assert their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's leader required many weeks of planning, but the moment Donald Trump gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately two and a half hours.

The surprise pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event within modern politics and resulted in the arrest of Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force as they tried to escape inside a heavily secured safe room, the couple are currently detained at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Images from the vast military base, a huge military complex where key officials live, reveal destroyed buildings as well as burned, smoking cars.

The location was this compound where the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official stated.

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Issues the Order

The mission began with reports of blasts around 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable the nation's air defences and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible for miles.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew low above the city, heading for the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, but managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

"It was a lot of weapons fire," Trump noted.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

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

They entered the facility at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without resistance, as per reports.

But, further information were provided. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," the President informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He could not to shut it."

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

From Caracas to New York City

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

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned off the coast. The operation was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

They were then flown via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Facing The Legal System in American Soil

On Saturday, a video emerged showing the detainee inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

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

They have been charged with planning drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice in the United States in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

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