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The US assert the military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president took months of planning, but when Donald Trump gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly 150 minutes.

The surprise early-morning attack on Saturday signified an unprecedented incident in modern politics and led directly to the arrest for Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force as they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured panic room, the pair are currently detained in a detention centre in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Images of the vast military base, an enormous army installation in which senior leadership live, reveal destroyed buildings and burned, smoking cars.

The location was this compound that the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Hours Before - Trump Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of blasts at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power across the capital, the President has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

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

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

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airport. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Residents reported how American choppers flew low over Caracas, en route to the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however were still able to fly, officials said.

There was significant weapons fire," Trump added.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, as per reports.

However, more details were provided. They tried to escape into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were too quick.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," the President told reporters. He reached to the door. He could not to close it."

But even if they had managed to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was back in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

They were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, footage emerged showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

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

They have been charged with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

"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 transport into custody.