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The US assert the military operation to capture the South American nation's leader took months of careful preparation, yet the moment Donald Trump gave the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately 150 minutes.

The surprise pre-dawn strike this past weekend marked an unprecedented event in modern politics and led directly to the arrest of Venezuela's president along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by soldiers belonging to a top-tier American military force when they tried to flee inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are now being held in a detention centre within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the extent of the military operation in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous army installation in which senior leadership live, show bombed out structures as well as burned, smoking vehicles.

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

Hours Before - Trump Issues the Command

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

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

The goal was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", the top general commented.

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airport. Pictures show the complex on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

"It was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted.

A Rapid Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without resistance, as per reports.

But, further information emerged. They tried to escape into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," the President told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."

But even if they had succeeded to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed off the coast. The team was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

They were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Confronting The Legal System on US Territory

That same day, footage emerged depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged with planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival in US and transport to detention.