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American officials state their military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader involved months of careful preparation, however the moment the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the arrest for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers from a top-tier American military force when they tried to flee into a heavily secured safe room, the pair are currently in custody in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

The Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

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

Photographs of the vast military base, a massive army installation where senior leadership live, show destroyed buildings and burned, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this compound where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official stated.

Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of explosions at about 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces disabled electricity 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 way for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," the top general remarked.

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airport. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible for miles.

Venezuelans reported how US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

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

There was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

A Rapid Ground Assault

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

They entered the facility at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per accounts.

But, further information were provided. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get inside because our guys were too quick.

It featured a very thick door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. "He made it to the door. He was unable to close it."

But even if they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

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

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a warship stationed off the coast. The team was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

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

Facing The Legal System in US Territory

That same day, a video was released showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

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

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows the leader's entry into American and journey to detention.