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American officials assert the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president involved months of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning assault this past weekend signified a never-before-seen event in contemporary international relations and resulted in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers from a top-tier American military force when they tried to flee inside a heavily secured safe room, the two are currently being held at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism indictments.

A Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

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

Pictures from the vast military base, an enormous military complex where senior leadership live, depict destroyed structures as well as charred, smoking vehicles.

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

Hours Before - Trump Issues the Command

The mission commenced with reports of explosions at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

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

The goal was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and clear the path for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures show the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Residents have described the way American choppers flew low over Caracas, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, but managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

There was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

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

They entered the facility at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, according to accounts.

But, more details were provided. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," the President informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Confronting The Legal System on US Territory

On Saturday, a video was released showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

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

They have been charged including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and bombs against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Video documents Maduro's arrival in US and transport into custody.