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The US assert the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president involved months of careful preparation, but when Donald Trump gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after about 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn assault this past weekend represented a historic incident within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Seized by troops from an elite American military force as they attempted to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are currently detained at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism accusations.

The Dawn Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's capital, became apparent.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation where key officials reside, show bombed out structures as well as burned, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this compound where Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official stated.

Hours Earlier - Trump Issues the Command

The mission started with reports of explosions around 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

American forces cut power to the city, the President has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to disable Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.

Strike locations included the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however were still able to fly, officials said.

There was a lot of weapons fire," Trump added.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without resistance, according to reports.

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

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door as our personnel were so fast.

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

But even if they had succeeded to get into the safe room, forces could have blown it open in about "under a minute."

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were transported some 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - Maduro shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

They then traveled on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Facing Justice on American Soil

On Saturday, footage was released showing Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

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

They face charges with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and journey into custody.