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American officials assert the military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president took many weeks of careful preparation, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after about 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning strike on Saturday marked a historic event in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers belonging to an elite American military force when they tried to flee into a fortified secure chamber, the couple are currently detained in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

A Dawn Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was evident.

Photographs of the vast military base, an enormous army installation in which senior leadership live, show blasted buildings and charred, smoking vehicles.

The location was this facility where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official reported.

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of explosions at about 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity to the city, the President later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The goal was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems 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 remarked.

Targeted sites included the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures depict the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported the way US military helicopters flew low above the city, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

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

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to accounts.

However, further information were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door as our personnel were too quick.

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

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel stationed off the coast. The operation was back in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

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

Facing Justice in US Territory

That same day, a video emerged showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

The couple are now being held in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and explosives, and plots to possess such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

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