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American officials claim their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president involved many weeks of planning, however when the US President gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn assault on Saturday represented a historic event in contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by soldiers belonging to an elite American military force while they tried to flee into a heavily secured safe room, the pair are currently in custody at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism accusations.

The Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's primary city, became apparent.

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where key officials reside, show destroyed structures as well as burned, smoking vehicles.

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

Hours Earlier - Trump Gives the Command

The mission started with reports of blasts at approximately 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

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

The aim was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Targeted sites included the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported how American choppers flew low over Caracas, en route to the military base.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders said.

"It was significant gunfire," the President added.

The Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

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

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."

But even if they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to New York City

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

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was completed in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

On Saturday, footage was released depicting Maduro at the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

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

They face charges with planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess machine guns and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

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