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American officials assert their military operation to capture the South American nation's leader took months of careful preparation, but when Donald Trump issued the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning assault on Saturday represented an unprecedented incident within contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention of Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers belonging to a top-tier US army unit while they tried to flee into a fortified safe room, the two are now being held at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault against the Military Complex

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's primary city, was evident.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation in which senior leadership live, reveal blasted structures as well as burned, smoking vehicles.

The location was this compound where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández indicated.

Hours Earlier - Trump Gives the Command

The mission started with reports of explosions around 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

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

The aim was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," the top general stated.

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airfield. Images show the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires seen for miles.

Residents have described the way US military helicopters flew low above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

There was significant weapons fire," Trump added.

A Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, according to accounts.

However, more details were provided. They tried to escape into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," the President told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the safe room, troops could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were transported some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They then traveled via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing Justice on American Soil

On Saturday, a video emerged showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

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

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

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

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