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American officials claim the military operation to capture Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, but when the US President issued the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours.

The surprise pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and resulted in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by troops belonging to an elite American military force when they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the couple are now in custody in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the extent of the military operation in the capital, the nation's capital, was clear.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where key officials reside, show blasted structures and charred, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this facility where the president and first lady were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Command

The mission started with reports of explosions at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power to the city, Trump has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The goal was to disable Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures show the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

"It was significant weapons fire," Trump added.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

However, further information emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

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

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

From Caracas to Manhattan

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

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.

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

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting the detainee inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are now detained at a federal holding facility in the city.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Video documents Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.