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The US claim their armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, but when the US President gave the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately two and a half hours.

The surprise pre-dawn strike on Saturday signified an unprecedented event in modern politics and resulted in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers from an elite US army unit as they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured panic room, the pair are currently being held in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

A Dawn Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's capital, was clear.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation in which key officials live, depict bombed out buildings and charred, smouldering cars.

It was at this facility where Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández stated.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of explosions at about 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

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

The goal was to disable the nation's air defences and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," the top general stated.

Strike locations encompassed the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however were still able to fly, officials said.

"It was significant gunfire," the President noted.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, as per reports.

But, further information were provided. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door because our guys 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 "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

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

They were flown from the capital via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection 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.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on US Territory

On Saturday, footage was released showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

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

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

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

Footage shows Maduro's arrival in US and journey to detention.