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American officials state their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president took many weeks of careful preparation, yet the moment the US President issued the command to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after about two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning attack on Saturday marked an unprecedented incident in modern politics and resulted in the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops from an elite US army unit while they attempted to escape inside a fortified secure chamber, the couple are currently in custody at a holding facility within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's capital, was clear.

Images from the vast military base, a huge military complex in which top government officials live, depict destroyed structures and burned, smoking cars.

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

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Issues the Command

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

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

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and open up the path for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept totally the element of surprise", the top general stated.

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible for miles.

Venezuelans have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to the military base.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, but were still able to fly, officials said.

"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, as per reports.

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

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door as our personnel were too quick.

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

But even if they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have blown it open in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

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

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

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

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

On Saturday, footage emerged depicting the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

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

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

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

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