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The US state their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president required many weeks of planning, however when Donald Trump issued the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly 150 minutes.

The shocking early-morning attack on Saturday marked a historic incident within contemporary international relations and led directly to the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers belonging to an elite American military force when they tried to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are currently detained at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

A Dawn Assault against the Military Complex

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

Images from Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex where senior leadership live, depict blasted buildings as well as burned, smouldering cars.

It was at this base where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official stated.

Hours Before - Trump Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of explosions around 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US cut power to the city, Trump later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer stated.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires seen for miles.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew low above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

There was a lot of gunfire," Trump added.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

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

They gained access the facility at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, as per reports.

However, further information were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door as our personnel were so fast.

"It was an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

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

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The team was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice in American Soil

On Saturday, a video emerged depicting the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

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

They have been charged with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and plots 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 within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.