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The US assert the military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader took months of planning, but the moment Donald Trump gave the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning strike on Saturday represented a historic event within modern politics and resulted in the arrest for Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by troops from an elite US army unit when they tried to escape into a fortified safe room, the pair are now being held in a detention centre in New York and face narco-terrorism accusations.

A Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

With daybreak on Saturday, the extent of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, was clear.

Photographs from the vast military base, an enormous military complex in which top government officials reside, show blasted buildings and charred, smouldering cars.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure a party official reported.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Command

The mission started amid reports of explosions at about 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power across the capital, the President later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable the nation's air defences and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer commented.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures show the complex on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew low over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

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

The Rapid Ground Assault

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without resistance, according to accounts.

But, more details emerged. They attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to get to the door as our personnel were too quick.

"It was an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

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

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

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

They were then flown via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System in US Territory

On Saturday, footage was released showing the detainee inside the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre within the city.

They have been charged with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival in US and transport to detention.