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The US claim the armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's leader involved many weeks of careful preparation, but the moment Donald Trump issued the command to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted about 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning assault on Saturday signified an unprecedented event within modern politics and led directly to the arrest of Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force when they attempted to flee into a heavily secured safe room, the pair are currently in custody in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose that morning, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was evident.

Pictures of the vast military base, an enormous army installation in which top government officials reside, reveal bombed out structures as well as charred, smouldering cars.

The location was this facility that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Earlier - The President Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of explosions around 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power to the city, the President has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Targeted sites included the base, a maritime facility and an airport. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames seen for miles.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but were still able to fly, officials said.

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

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

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

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, according to accounts.

But, more details emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," the President informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

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

From Caracas to New York City

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

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

Confronting The Legal System in US Territory

That same day, a video was released showing the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

The couple are presently detained at a federal holding facility in the city.

They face charges with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

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