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The US assert their military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader took months of planning, yet the moment the US President gave the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours.

The surprise early-morning attack on Saturday marked an unprecedented event in contemporary international relations and led directly to the arrest for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers belonging to an elite US army unit as they attempted to flee inside a fortified secure chamber, the two are now being held at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism indictments.

A Early Morning Raid against the Military Complex

At sunrise on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex in which key officials reside, reveal destroyed buildings and burned, smouldering vehicles.

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

Hours Before - The President Gives the Command

The mission began with reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US cut power to the city, the President later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the way for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," the top general stated.

Strike locations included the base, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

A Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without resistance, as per reports.

But, more details emerged. They attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached the entrance. He could not to shut it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

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

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

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

Confronting The Legal System in US Territory

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

He and Cilia Flores are presently detained in a detention centre within the city.

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage documents Maduro's arrival in US and transport into custody.