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The US state the military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president took months of careful preparation, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers belonging to a top-tier American military force while they attempted to escape into a fortified safe room, the pair are now being held at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

A Dawn Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

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

Images from the vast military base, a huge army installation in which key officials live, reveal destroyed buildings as well as burned, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this compound where Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Hours Before - Trump Gives the Order

The mission began with reports of explosions at approximately 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

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

The goal was to neutralize the nation's air defences and clear the way for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

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

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames seen for miles.

Venezuelans reported how American choppers flew low over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

There was significant gunfire," the President added.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

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

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, as per reports.

However, further information emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to get to the door as our personnel were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," the President told reporters. "He made it to the door. He could not to shut it."

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

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

Facing The Legal System in US Territory

On Saturday, footage emerged showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and bombs against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

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