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American officials state the armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's president took many weeks of careful preparation, however the moment Donald Trump issued the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike this past weekend marked a never-before-seen event in modern politics and led directly to the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by troops from an elite US army unit as they tried to flee into a heavily secured safe room, the two are currently being held in a detention centre within New York City and face narco-terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the extent of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation in which key officials reside, reveal destroyed structures as well as burned, smoking cars.

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

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Gives the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of explosions at approximately 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power to the city, the President later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the path for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer stated.

Targeted sites included the compound, a port and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew low over Caracas, en route to the military base.

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

"It was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

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

However, further information were provided. They tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he failed to get inside as our personnel were so fast.

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

But even if they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were transported approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed off the coast. The team was back in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

They then traveled on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing Justice in American Soil

On Saturday, a video was released depicting Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

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

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Video documents Maduro's arrival in US and transport into custody.