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The US assert their armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's president involved months of planning, however the moment Donald Trump gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn assault this past weekend signified a historic incident in modern politics and culminated in the detention of Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops belonging to a top-tier US army unit as they tried to flee inside a fortified safe room, the pair are currently in custody in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

A Dawn Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's capital, was evident.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation in which key officials reside, reveal bombed out structures as well as burned, smoking vehicles.

The location was this compound that the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Order

The mission began with reports of explosions around 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

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

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems and open up 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 maritime facility and an airport. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way US military helicopters flew low above the city, heading for the military base.

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

"It was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

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

However, further information emerged. They attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to get to the door because our guys were too quick.

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. "He made it to the door. He could not to shut it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the bunker, forces could have blown it open in approximately "under a minute."

From Caracas to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved some 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

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

They were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base 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 depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

The couple are now detained in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged with planning drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Video shows the leader's entry in US and transport into custody.