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American officials assert their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president took months of careful preparation, however when the US President gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately two and a half hours.

The surprise pre-dawn attack on Saturday signified a historic event within modern politics and resulted in the detention of Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers from an elite US army unit as they tried to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are currently in custody at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose that morning, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, the nation's capital, was evident.

Pictures of the vast military base, a massive military complex where key officials reside, show destroyed structures and burned, smoking vehicles.

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

Hours Earlier - The President Gives the Order

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

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

The goal was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the path for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations included the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen for miles.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew low over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

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

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per reports.

But, more details emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to get inside because our guys were too quick.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump told reporters. He reached the entrance. He could not to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to get into the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported some 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

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

They were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Facing The Legal System on US Territory

On Saturday, footage emerged showing the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

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

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.

Video shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey into custody.