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The US claim their military operation to capture Venezuela's president required many weeks of careful preparation, but the moment Donald Trump issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn assault on Saturday marked an unprecedented event in modern politics and led directly to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops belonging to an elite American military force while they tried to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are currently detained at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism accusations.

A Dawn Raid against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the extent of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's primary city, became apparent.

Images from the vast military base, a huge army installation in which top government officials reside, show destroyed structures and burned, smoking vehicles.

It was at this compound that Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure a party official reported.

Hours Before - Trump Issues the Order

The mission started amid reports of explosions around 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces cut power to the city, the President has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The goal was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires seen for miles.

Venezuelans have described the way US military helicopters flew low over Caracas, heading for the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, but were still able to fly, officials stated.

There was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.

But, further information emerged. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door as our personnel were so fast.

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

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the bunker, forces could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed off the coast. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

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

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

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

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

Video shows Maduro's arrival in US and journey into custody.