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The US state the armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's leader involved many weeks of careful preparation, but the moment the US President gave the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about 150 minutes.

The shocking pre-dawn strike on Saturday represented a historic incident within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers belonging to an elite US army unit while they tried to escape into a fortified secure chamber, the two are now detained at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's capital, was clear.

Photographs of the vast military base, a massive military complex where senior leadership reside, depict destroyed structures as well as charred, smoking vehicles.

It was at this compound where the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure a party official indicated.

Just Moments Earlier - The President Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started amid reports of blasts at about 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

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

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

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

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airport. Images show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with massive fires seen for miles.

Venezuelans reported the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, but managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

There was a lot of weapons fire," the President added.

A Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

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

They entered the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

However, further information emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured a very thick door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

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

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was completed in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

They were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing The Legal System on US Territory

On Saturday, a video emerged showing the detainee inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility in the city.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

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

Footage documents the leader's entry into American and transport to detention.