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The US state the military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president involved many weeks of careful preparation, however the moment Donald Trump issued the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately two and a half hours.

The shocking early-morning strike on Saturday represented a historic incident in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention for Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force as they attempted to flee into a heavily secured panic room, the couple are now detained at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Assault against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where key officials live, depict blasted buildings as well as burned, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this compound that the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure a party official reported.

Hours Before - Trump Gives the Command

The mission commenced with reports of blasts around 2 AM local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The goal was to neutralize the nation's air defense systems and open up the path for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.

Targeted sites included the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Residents have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, but were still able to fly, military leaders said.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

But, further information emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it inside as our personnel were so fast.

"It was a very thick door, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. He reached to the door. He was unable to shut it."

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

From the Capital to New York City

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

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - Maduro shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

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

They then traveled via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Confronting The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting Maduro at the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

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

They face charges including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Video shows the leader's entry into American and journey into custody.