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American officials claim the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president required many weeks of careful preparation, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning attack this past weekend signified a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Seized by troops belonging to an elite American military force when they attempted to escape inside a fortified panic room, the pair are now detained in a detention centre within New York City and face narco-terrorism indictments.

The Early Morning Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's capital, became apparent.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation where senior leadership reside, show bombed out buildings as well as burned, smoking cars.

It was at this base that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Before - Trump Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of blasts at about 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US cut power to the city, Trump later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The aim was to neutralize the nation's air defences and clear the path for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

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

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however managed to continue flying, officials said.

There was significant weapons fire," the President noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without resistance, as per reports.

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

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were transported some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, 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, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing Justice on American Soil

On Saturday, footage was released depicting Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre within the city.

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

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.

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