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American officials claim their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader involved many weeks of careful preparation, but when Donald Trump issued the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately two and a half hours.

The surprise early-morning assault on Saturday marked a historic event within modern politics and resulted in the detention of Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers from a top-tier American military force when they tried to flee into a fortified panic room, the pair are currently detained at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

A Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex in which senior leadership live, depict blasted buildings and burned, smoking cars.

It was at this compound that the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure a party official indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Gives the Command

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

The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, however managed to continue flying, officials stated.

There was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

The Rapid Ground Assault

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, 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 attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

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

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

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

From Caracas to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

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

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

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

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

Confronting The Legal System on US Territory

That same day, a video emerged showing the detainee at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

The couple are presently being held in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Video shows Maduro's arrival in US and journey to detention.