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The US state the military operation to capture the South American nation's president took months of careful preparation, however when the US President gave the command to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly 150 minutes.

The surprise early-morning attack on Saturday signified an unprecedented incident within modern politics and led directly to the arrest of Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by troops from a top-tier US army unit when they tried to flee inside a fortified panic room, the two are now in custody at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's primary city, was evident.

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex in which senior leadership reside, depict bombed out buildings as well as charred, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this compound where the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Command

The mission began amid reports of blasts at about 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

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

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", the top general commented.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures depict the complex on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Residents reported how American choppers flew low above the city, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however managed to continue flying, officials said.

"It was significant weapons fire," Trump noted.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

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

But, more details were provided. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to get to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed off the coast. The operation was completed "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.

They were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on US Territory

That same day, a video was released showing Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

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

They face charges including planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage documents the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.