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American officials state their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president took months of planning, however when Donald Trump gave the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike this past weekend marked an unprecedented event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the arrest for Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by troops belonging to an elite American military force when they attempted to flee inside a heavily secured panic room, the couple are now detained at a holding facility in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose that morning, the extent of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex where top government officials reside, show blasted buildings and burned, smoking vehicles.

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

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of blasts around 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems and clear the way for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," the top general commented.

Strike locations encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

"It was significant gunfire," the President added.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per accounts.

However, more details were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to get inside as our personnel were too quick.

"It was a very thick door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

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

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

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

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.

They then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Confronting Justice in US Territory

That same day, a video was released showing the detainee at the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

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

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

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

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