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American officials claim their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's leader took months of careful preparation, yet when Donald Trump gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in about 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn assault this past weekend marked a historic incident in contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest for Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers from an elite US army unit as they tried to escape inside a heavily secured safe room, the couple are currently in custody at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Assault on the Military Complex

As the sun rose on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, the nation's primary city, was evident.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous army installation where key officials reside, reveal blasted buildings as well as charred, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this facility that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Earlier - The President Gives the Command

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

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

The objective was to neutralize the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures show the complex on fire, 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.

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

There was significant weapons fire," Trump added.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

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

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without resistance, as per reports.

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

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

"It was an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

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

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on US Territory

That same day, footage emerged showing Maduro at the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

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

They face charges including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Footage documents Maduro's arrival into American and transport into custody.