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The US state the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, yet when the US President gave the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after about 150 minutes.

The surprise pre-dawn strike this past weekend signified a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers belonging to an elite American military force when they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured panic room, the two are now being held in a detention centre within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the extent of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, became apparent.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation in which senior leadership reside, show destroyed structures as well as charred, smouldering cars.

It was at this facility where the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández stated.

Just Moments Earlier - The President Issues the Command

The mission started amid reports of explosions at about 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to disable Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for US military helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," the top general stated.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible for miles.

Residents reported how American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.

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

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, as per reports.

But, further information were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were too quick.

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

However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple were transported approximately 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters by 04:29.

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

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

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

Facing The Legal System in American Soil

On Saturday, footage was released depicting the detainee inside the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Video shows the leader's entry in US and transport to detention.