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American officials assert their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader took many weeks of planning, but when the US President gave the command to launch, 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 within modern politics and led directly to the detention for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers from a top-tier US army unit as they tried to escape inside a fortified panic room, the pair are currently being held at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.

The Early Morning Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

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

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex in which key officials live, reveal bombed out structures and burned, smouldering cars.

It was at this base where the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official reported.

Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of explosions at approximately 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US cut power across the capital, the President later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for US military helicopters to get to the target.

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

Targeted sites included the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen for miles.

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

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

"It was significant weapons fire," Trump added.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.

However, further information emerged. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were so fast.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. He reached the entrance. He could not to close it."

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

From Caracas to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was completed in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

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

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System in American Soil

On Saturday, footage emerged showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

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

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.