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American officials claim the military operation to capture Venezuela's president took many weeks of careful preparation, but the moment Donald Trump issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Venezuela's president along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops belonging to an elite American military force while they tried to escape into a fortified secure chamber, the pair are currently detained in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

A Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose that morning, the extent of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's primary city, was evident.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex in which top government officials live, reveal bombed out buildings and burned, smouldering cars.

It was at this compound where the president and first lady were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official stated.

Hours Earlier - The President Gives the Order

The mission started with reports of blasts around 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", the top general stated.

Strike locations included the base, a port and an airport. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

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

"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump added.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

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

But, more details were provided. They attempted to flee into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were too quick.

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

But even if they had succeeded to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

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

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

It was on the ship that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, 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.

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

Facing Justice in US Territory

On Saturday, footage was released depicting the detainee at the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

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

They face charges with planning drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to possess machine guns and bombs against the US.

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

Footage documents Maduro's arrival in US and journey to detention.