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American officials state their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president involved months of planning, but when Donald Trump issued the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning strike this past weekend represented a historic incident within modern politics and culminated in the detention of Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers belonging to a top-tier US army unit while they tried to flee inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the couple are currently being held at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose that morning, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where senior leadership reside, depict destroyed buildings and burned, smoking cars.

It was at this base that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official reported.

Hours Earlier - The President Issues the Command

The mission started amid reports of blasts around 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces cut power to the city, Trump later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The goal was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we successfully kept totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Targeted sites included the base, a port and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible for miles.

Venezuelans reported the way American choppers flew low above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, but managed to continue flying, military leaders said.

"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per accounts.

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

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were so fast.

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

But even if they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was back in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship where an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

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

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

That same day, a video emerged depicting the detainee at the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

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

They face charges including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

"They will soon face the complete force of American justice on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.