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The US state their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's leader took months of planning, yet when the US President issued the command to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly 150 minutes.

The surprise pre-dawn assault on Saturday signified a never-before-seen event in contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by troops from an elite US army unit while they tried to escape inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are now detained at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where top government officials reside, depict blasted structures and burned, smouldering cars.

The location was this base that the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official stated.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Command

The mission started with reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

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

The goal was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the way for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", the top general commented.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew low above the city, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, however managed to continue flying, officials said.

"It was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, as per accounts.

However, further information were provided. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door as our personnel were so fast.

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

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, 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 moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like 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, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Confronting Justice in US Territory

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

He and Cilia Flores are now being held at a federal holding facility within the city.

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

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.