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The US assert the military operation to capture the South American nation's leader required months of planning, yet when the US President gave the command to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn attack this past weekend marked a historic incident within modern politics and culminated in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers from an elite American military force while they tried to escape inside a heavily secured safe room, the two are now being held in a detention centre in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.

A Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's primary city, was clear.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation in which top government officials live, reveal destroyed structures and charred, smoking vehicles.

It was at this facility where the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official reported.

Hours Earlier - The President Gives the Command

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

The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The aim was to disable Venezuela's air defences and open up the path for US military helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airport. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents reported how US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, but were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

There was significant weapons fire," the President added.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, as per reports.

But, more details emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it to the door as our personnel were too quick.

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

But even if they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have blown it open in about "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

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

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship stationed off the coast. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - Maduro 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 at Guantánamo Bay.

They then traveled via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice in US Territory

On Saturday, a video emerged showing the detainee at the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

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

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.

Video shows the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.