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The US state their military operation to capture Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, but when Donald Trump gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately 150 minutes.

The shocking pre-dawn assault on Saturday marked a historic event within contemporary international relations and culminated in the detention of Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by troops belonging to an elite American military force as they tried to flee into a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are now in custody at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

The Early Morning Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose that morning, the magnitude of the military operation in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Pictures from the vast military base, a massive military complex where top government officials live, reveal bombed out structures as well as burned, smouldering vehicles.

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

Hours Earlier - The President Gives the Order

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

American forces cut power across the capital, the President later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the path for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer stated.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airport. Images show the complex on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, but managed to continue flying, officials stated.

"It was significant gunfire," the President noted.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

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

They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.

But, more details emerged. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. He reached the entrance. He could not to close it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the bunker, forces could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was completed in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

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

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

That same day, footage was released depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are now being held at a federal holding facility in the city.

They have been charged including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows Maduro's arrival in US and transport into custody.