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The US assert their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader required months of planning, but the moment the US President issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly two and a half hours.

The surprise early-morning strike this past weekend represented a historic event in modern politics and led directly to the arrest for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops belonging to an elite US army unit as they attempted to flee inside a heavily secured panic room, the pair are currently being held in a detention centre in New York and face narco-terrorism indictments.

The Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's primary city, was evident.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex where senior leadership reside, reveal bombed out buildings as well as burned, smoking vehicles.

The location was this base that the president and first lady were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official stated.

Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started amid reports of blasts around 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, describing it as "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.

"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. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Residents have described the way American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however were still able to fly, officials stated.

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

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, as per accounts.

But, more details emerged. They tried to escape into a safe place, 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 featured a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

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

From the Capital to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship stationed off the coast. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

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

Facing Justice in American Soil

That same day, footage emerged showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

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

They have been charged including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage shows the leader's entry into American and transport to detention.