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The US state the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president took months of planning, however when Donald Trump issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about 150 minutes.

The surprise pre-dawn assault on Saturday marked an unprecedented event within modern politics and resulted in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers from an elite US army unit when they attempted to flee inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are now in custody in a detention centre within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's primary city, was clear.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous army installation in which key officials reside, show destroyed buildings and charred, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this compound that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández stated.

Hours Before - Trump Issues the Command

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

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

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

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

Strike locations included the base, a port and an airport. Images show the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, but managed to continue flying, officials said.

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

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

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

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without resistance, according to reports.

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 to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," the President told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported approximately 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System on US Territory

On Saturday, a video emerged showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are presently detained at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to possess machine guns and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows the leader's entry in US and transport into custody.