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American officials assert their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president involved many weeks of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in about 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike on Saturday marked a never-before-seen incident in contemporary international relations and culminated in the detention of Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers belonging to an elite US army unit as they attempted to escape into a fortified safe room, the two are now detained at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

The Dawn Assault against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Images of the vast military base, a huge army installation in which top government officials reside, reveal blasted buildings as well as burned, smoking vehicles.

It was at this base where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Order

The mission commenced amid reports of explosions around 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces cut power across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

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

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", the top general remarked.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents have described how American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but managed to continue flying, officials said.

"It was a lot of weapons fire," Trump added.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per reports.

However, more details were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to get to the door as our personnel were too quick.

It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

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

Facing The Legal System in American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

The couple are presently detained at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and transport into custody.