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American officials claim their military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader required many weeks of careful preparation, but when Donald Trump issued the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning strike this past weekend signified an unprecedented incident within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention of Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by soldiers from an elite US army unit while they attempted to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are currently in custody in a detention centre in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the magnitude of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Photographs of the vast military base, a huge army installation in which key officials reside, reveal bombed out structures and charred, smoking cars.

The location was this base that the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Command

The mission started amid reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

American forces cut power to the city, Trump later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The goal was to disable Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

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

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible for miles.

Venezuelans reported the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however managed to continue flying, officials said.

"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

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

They entered the facility at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without resistance, as per accounts.

However, further information emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it inside as our personnel were so fast.

"It was a very thick door, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He could not to shut it."

But even if they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a warship positioned off the coast. The operation was completed "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship where an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing Justice in American Soil

On Saturday, a video was released showing the detainee at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

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

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

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

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