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The US assert their military operation to capture Venezuela's leader required months of careful preparation, however when the US President issued the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn assault on Saturday marked a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and culminated in the detention of Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by troops belonging to a top-tier US army unit while they attempted to flee inside a fortified secure chamber, the two are now detained at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

The Dawn Raid on the Military Complex

As the sun rose on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's primary city, became apparent.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation where top government officials reside, reveal blasted structures and charred, smoking cars.

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

Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of explosions at about 2 AM local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

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

The goal was to neutralize the nation's air defences and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", the top general commented.

Strike locations included the base, a port and an airport. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew low above the city, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, however were still able to fly, officials stated.

There was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, according to reports.

However, more details emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, referred to as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it to the door as our personnel were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

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

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing Justice in US Territory

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

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

They have been charged including planning drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage documents the leader's entry into American and transport into custody.