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American officials state their military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader required many weeks of careful preparation, but the moment the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately two and a half hours.

The surprise pre-dawn assault on Saturday marked a never-before-seen event in modern politics and resulted in the detention of Venezuela's president along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by soldiers from a top-tier American military force while they tried to flee inside a fortified secure chamber, the couple are now detained in a detention centre within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

The Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

As the sun rose on Saturday, the extent of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's capital, was clear.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where key officials live, show bombed out structures as well as charred, smoking vehicles.

It was at this facility where the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of explosions at about 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the path for US military helicopters to get to the target.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," the top general stated.

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airport. Pictures depict the complex on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew low above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however were still able to fly, officials said.

There was a lot of weapons fire," Trump added.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

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

However, further information were provided. They attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to close it."

But even if they had managed to get into the bunker, forces could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

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

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

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They then traveled via official aircraft 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 showing Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility in the city.

They face charges including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.