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The US assert the military operation to capture the South American nation's president took many weeks of planning, yet the moment the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning strike this past weekend represented a historic incident in modern politics and led directly to the arrest of Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers from an elite US army unit while they tried to flee into a fortified panic room, the pair are currently detained in a detention centre in New York and face narco-terrorism accusations.

The Dawn Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

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

Images from the vast military base, an enormous military complex where key officials reside, depict blasted buildings as well as charred, smouldering cars.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández stated.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, the President has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

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

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

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Residents reported how American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however were still able to fly, officials stated.

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

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per reports.

But, further information were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a very heavy door," the President told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were transported some 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The operation was back in international waters by 04:29.

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

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on American Soil

On Saturday, a video was released showing the detainee at the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges including planning drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage documents Maduro's arrival in US and transport into custody.