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American officials assert their military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president required months of planning, yet the moment the US President gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after about 150 minutes.

The surprise pre-dawn strike on Saturday signified an unprecedented incident in contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest of Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by soldiers from a top-tier US army unit while they attempted to escape into a fortified safe room, the pair are currently being held at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism accusations.

The Early Morning Assault against the Military Complex

With daybreak on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, was clear.

Images of the vast military base, an enormous military complex where key officials live, depict blasted structures and burned, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this facility that the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of blasts at about 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power to the city, Trump later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The aim was to disable Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", the top general remarked.

Strike locations included the base, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

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

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

There was a lot of gunfire," the President added.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, as per accounts.

But, more details were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

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

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

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

From Caracas to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They then traveled via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing Justice on American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting Maduro at the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are now detained in a detention centre within the city.

They have been charged including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to possess machine guns and destructive devices 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 proclaimed.

Video documents the leader's entry into American and transport to detention.