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American officials claim the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader took months of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump gave the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately 150 minutes.

The shocking pre-dawn strike on Saturday marked a historic incident in contemporary international relations and resulted in the arrest of Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers from a top-tier American military force when they tried to flee inside a heavily secured safe room, the two are currently detained at a holding facility in New York and face narco-terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, the nation's capital, was evident.

Photographs from the vast military base, a massive military complex in which top government officials reside, show destroyed buildings and burned, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this base where the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced with reports of explosions around 2 AM local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity to the city, the President has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The aim was to neutralize the nation's air defences and clear the path for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Strike locations included the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images show the complex on fire, with massive fires seen for miles.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew low above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but were still able to fly, military leaders said.

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

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

But, more details were provided. They tried to escape into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were so fast.

"It was a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the bunker, forces could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

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

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was completed in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

They were then flown via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice in American Soil

On Saturday, a video was released depicting Maduro at the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

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

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.

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