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American officials state the armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's president required many weeks of careful preparation, however when the US President gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours.

The surprise pre-dawn strike this past weekend represented a historic event within modern politics and culminated in the arrest for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops belonging to an elite American military force while they tried to flee inside a fortified panic room, the two are now being held at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Assault against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's primary city, became apparent.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex in which top government officials reside, reveal destroyed structures and charred, smouldering cars.

The location was this base that the president and first lady were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández stated.

Just Moments Earlier - The President Gives the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced with reports of explosions at about 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

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

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the path for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Targeted sites included the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures show the complex on fire, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Residents reported how American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however managed to continue flying, officials stated.

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

The Rapid Ground Assault

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

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, according to reports.

But, further information were provided. They attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

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

"It was an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump informed the media. "He made it to the door. He was unable to close it."

But even if they had succeeded to get into 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 moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned off the coast. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, 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, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice in US Territory

That same day, footage emerged showing the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

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

They face charges with planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Video documents the leader's entry in US and transport into custody.