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The US claim the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader took many weeks of careful preparation, yet when the US President issued the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning attack on Saturday represented an unprecedented incident in contemporary international relations and culminated in the detention for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by troops from an elite American military force as they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are now being held in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid on the Military Complex

As the sun rose that morning, the extent of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's primary city, was clear.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous army installation where top government officials reside, reveal destroyed buildings and burned, smouldering cars.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official indicated.

Hours Earlier - Trump Gives the Order

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

American forces disabled electricity across the capital, the President later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

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

"We assessed that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," the top general remarked.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures depict the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported how US military helicopters flew low over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however managed to continue flying, officials said.

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

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They gained access the facility at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without resistance, as per accounts.

But, further information emerged. They tried to escape into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were too quick.

"It was a very thick door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - Maduro shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

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

Confronting Justice on US Territory

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

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

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire machine guns and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice in the United States in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and transport to detention.