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The US assert their military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president involved months of careful preparation, however when Donald Trump gave the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately 150 minutes.

The surprise pre-dawn attack on Saturday marked a never-before-seen incident in contemporary international relations and resulted in the arrest for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers belonging to a top-tier American military force as they tried to escape into a heavily secured safe room, the pair are now in custody at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Images from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex in which senior leadership reside, reveal destroyed buildings as well as charred, smouldering cars.

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

Just Moments Earlier - The President Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of explosions at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

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

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires seen for miles.

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

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

There was significant weapons fire," Trump added.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per accounts.

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

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he failed to get inside as our personnel were so fast.

"It was an extremely heavy door, a massive door," the President informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the bunker, forces could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

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

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

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

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

Facing Justice in US Territory

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

He and Cilia Flores are presently detained in a detention centre within the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows Maduro's arrival in US and journey into custody.