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American officials state their military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president took months of careful preparation, but when the US President issued the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about 150 minutes.

The shocking pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event within modern politics and led directly to the arrest for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by soldiers from an elite American military force while they tried to escape inside a heavily secured safe room, the pair are now detained at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose on Saturday, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's capital, was evident.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where top government officials live, show bombed out structures and charred, smouldering cars.

The location was this base that the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Gives the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of blasts at about 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

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

The aim was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

There was a lot of weapons fire," Trump noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They entered the facility at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to reports.

But, more details were provided. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door as our personnel were so fast.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

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

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The team was completed in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship where an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.

They then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing The Legal System on American Soil

On Saturday, a video emerged depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

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

They face charges with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and transport to detention.