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American officials state their armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's president involved months of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning attack on Saturday represented an unprecedented event in contemporary international relations and culminated in the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops from an elite US army unit when they attempted to escape inside a fortified panic room, the pair are now being held at a holding facility in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

The Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

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

Pictures from the vast military base, a massive army installation where senior leadership reside, depict bombed out structures and burned, smoking vehicles.

It was at this compound that the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Earlier - Trump Issues the Command

The mission began amid reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US cut power across the capital, Trump has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The aim was to disable the nation's air defense systems and open up the way for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airport. Images show the complex on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but managed to continue flying, military leaders said.

"It was significant gunfire," the President added.

A Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, according to reports.

But, further information emerged. They tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were so fast.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. He reached the entrance. He could not to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

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

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

Facing Justice in American Soil

On Saturday, footage emerged depicting Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges with planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Video shows Maduro's arrival in US and journey to detention.