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American officials assert their military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved many weeks of planning, but when the US President issued the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event in modern politics and led directly to the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by troops from a top-tier US army unit when they attempted to flee inside a fortified secure chamber, the couple are currently being held in a detention centre in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

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

Pictures of the vast military base, an enormous military complex in which top government officials live, reveal blasted buildings as well as charred, smouldering cars.

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

Just Moments Before - Trump Gives the Order

The mission started amid reports of blasts at about 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces cut power to the city, Trump later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to disable the nation's air defense systems and open up the way for US military helicopters to reach the target.

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

Strike locations included the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures depict the complex on fire, with massive fires visible for miles.

Residents have described the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for the military base.

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

There was significant weapons fire," Trump noted.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.

However, more details emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were so fast.

"It was an extremely heavy entryway, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

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

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a warship positioned off the coast. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship that an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Facing The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, footage emerged depicting Maduro at the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

The couple are presently detained at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Footage documents the leader's entry into American and journey to detention.