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American officials state their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader took many weeks of careful preparation, however when Donald Trump gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning assault on Saturday marked a historic incident in modern politics and culminated in the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers from an elite American military force when they attempted to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the couple are now in custody at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

A Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was evident.

Photographs of the vast military base, a huge army installation in which key officials reside, reveal blasted structures and burned, smouldering cars.

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

Just Moments Before - Trump Gives the Order

The mission started amid reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to neutralize the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images depict the complex on fire, with massive fires visible for miles.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however managed to continue flying, military leaders said.

There was a lot of gunfire," the President noted.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

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

They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

However, further information were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it to the door as our personnel were so fast.

"It was a very thick door, a massive door," the President told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, forces could have blown it open in approximately "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

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

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

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

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

Facing The Legal System in US Territory

That same day, footage emerged depicting the detainee at the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

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