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American officials claim their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president required many weeks of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly 150 minutes.

The shocking pre-dawn strike on Saturday signified an unprecedented event in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention of Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force as they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured safe room, the pair are currently in custody at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

As the sun rose that morning, the extent of the military operation in the capital, the nation's capital, was clear.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation in which key officials reside, reveal destroyed buildings and burned, smouldering cars.

It was at this facility that Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of blasts at about 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the path for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible for miles.

Residents have described the way US military helicopters flew low above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

"It was significant weapons fire," Trump noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

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

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

However, more details emerged. They attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door because our guys were so fast.

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

But even if they had managed to get into the safe room, troops could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a warship stationed off the coast. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Facing Justice in US Territory

On Saturday, footage emerged showing Maduro at the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

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

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

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

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