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The US claim the military operation to capture the South American nation's leader required months of planning, but when the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours.

The shocking early-morning strike this past weekend marked an unprecedented incident in modern politics and culminated in the detention of Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers from a top-tier US army unit as they attempted to flee inside a heavily secured safe room, the couple are currently being held in a detention centre within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's primary city, was clear.

Pictures from the vast military base, a massive army installation in which key officials reside, depict destroyed structures and burned, smoking cars.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Earlier - The President Gives the Command

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

American forces cut power across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

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

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

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airport. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires seen for miles.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, but were still able to fly, officials said.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

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

However, more details emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," the President told reporters. "He made it to the door. He was unable to close it."

But even if they had managed to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

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

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed off the coast. The operation was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing Justice in US Territory

That same day, footage was released depicting the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and transport into custody.