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The US state the military operation to capture the South American nation's president required months of careful preparation, but when the US President gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after about two and a half hours.

The shocking pre-dawn assault this past weekend marked an unprecedented event in contemporary international relations and culminated in the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops from an elite American military force while they attempted to flee into a fortified panic room, the pair are now being held in a detention centre in New York and face narco-terrorism charges.

A Dawn Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's capital, was evident.

Pictures from the vast military base, an enormous military complex where senior leadership live, depict bombed out buildings as well as charred, smoking cars.

The location was this facility where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official stated.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of explosions around 2 AM local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, the President later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The goal was to neutralize the nation's air defences and clear the way for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.

Strike locations included the base, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump added.

The Rapid Ground Assault

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

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, according to accounts.

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

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

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

But even if they had managed to get into the safe room, troops could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

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

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed off the coast. The team was completed in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

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

They were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Confronting Justice in American Soil

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

The couple are presently being held in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the complete force 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 transport into custody.