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The US state the armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president involved many weeks of careful preparation, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately two and a half hours.

The shocking early-morning assault on Saturday marked an unprecedented event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by troops from a top-tier US army unit while they tried to escape inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the couple are currently being held in a detention centre within New York City and face narco-terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Assault against the Military Complex

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

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation where senior leadership reside, reveal blasted structures and burned, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this facility that the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure a party official indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of explosions at about 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The goal was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the path for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," the top general commented.

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airport. Images show the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, but managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

There was a lot of gunfire," the President noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access the facility at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.

But, more details were provided. They attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to get to the door as our personnel were too quick.

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump told reporters. He reached to the door. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

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

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

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

They then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Confronting Justice on US Territory

That same day, footage was released showing Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are now being held in a detention centre within the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to acquire such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

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

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