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American officials state the military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader took many weeks of planning, however the moment Donald Trump issued the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike on Saturday marked a historic incident in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops from an elite US army unit while they attempted to flee inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are currently detained in a detention centre in New York and face narco-terrorism charges.

The Dawn Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's primary city, became apparent.

Photographs of the vast military base, an enormous army installation where top government officials live, show destroyed structures and charred, smoking cars.

It was at this compound where the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure a party official reported.

Hours Earlier - Trump Issues the Command

The mission began amid reports of blasts at about 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

American forces cut power to the city, Trump has since said, calling it "dark and deadly".

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

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

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Residents reported how US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

There was significant weapons fire," the President noted.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

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

However, further information were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to get inside as our personnel were too quick.

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

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

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold 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, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, a video was released showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

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

They have been charged including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage documents the leader's entry in US and journey into custody.