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American officials claim the military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, however the moment the US President gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike on Saturday represented a historic incident in contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest of Venezuela's president along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by troops belonging to a top-tier US army unit when they tried to flee inside a fortified safe room, the pair are now being held in a detention centre in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Raid against the Military Complex

As the sun rose that morning, the extent of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's capital, was clear.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation where key officials reside, depict bombed out structures as well as burned, smoking cars.

It was at this base that Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Before - Trump Issues the Command

The mission began amid reports of explosions at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to neutralize the nation's air defense systems and open up the path for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.

Targeted sites included the base, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen for miles.

Venezuelans reported how American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, heading for the military base.

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

There was a lot of weapons fire," Trump noted.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per accounts.

However, more details emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a military "fortress".

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

It featured an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the safe room, forces could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The team was completed "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice in US Territory

On Saturday, footage emerged depicting Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

The couple are now being held in a detention centre within the city.

They have been charged with planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival in US and journey into custody.