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The US claim the military operation to capture Venezuela's leader took many weeks of planning, however when Donald Trump gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted about 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning assault this past weekend represented a historic event within modern politics and led directly to the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers from a top-tier American military force when they attempted to flee inside a fortified safe room, the two are now being held at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex where top government officials live, reveal blasted buildings and charred, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this compound where the president and first lady were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official stated.

Hours Before - Trump Gives the Order

The mission began with reports of blasts at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity to the city, the President has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and clear the way for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," the top general commented.

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

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

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

There was significant gunfire," the President noted.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per accounts.

But, further information emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," Trump told reporters. He reached to the door. He was unable to shut it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection 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 were then flown via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice in US Territory

On Saturday, a video was released showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

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

They have been charged with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.