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American officials state their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president took many weeks of careful preparation, however when the US President gave the command to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after about two and a half hours.

The shocking pre-dawn strike on Saturday represented a never-before-seen incident in modern politics and resulted in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers from an elite American military force when they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured safe room, the couple are now detained in a detention centre within New York City and face narco-terrorism indictments.

A Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's primary city, became apparent.

Images of the vast military base, a massive military complex where senior leadership reside, reveal blasted structures and burned, smoking cars.

It was at this base where Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official stated.

Hours Earlier - Trump Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of blasts at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces cut power across the capital, Trump has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The objective 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 advantage of surprise," the top general commented.

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

Residents have described the way American choppers flew low over Caracas, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, but managed to continue flying, officials stated.

There was a lot of gunfire," Trump added.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

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

However, further information emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were so fast.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He was unable to shut it."

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

From the Capital to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

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

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing Justice in American Soil

On Saturday, footage emerged showing Maduro at the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

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

They have been charged including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and journey into custody.