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The US assert the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader required many weeks of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the order to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted about 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn attack on Saturday represented a never-before-seen incident in modern politics and led directly to the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by soldiers belonging to a top-tier American military force while they tried to escape inside a fortified secure chamber, the couple are currently being held in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

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

Images from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where top government officials reside, show destroyed buildings and charred, smoking vehicles.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Command

The mission began with reports of blasts at about 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces disabled electricity across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," the top general commented.

Strike locations included the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Residents have described how US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however managed to continue flying, officials stated.

There was a lot of gunfire," the President added.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without resistance, according to accounts.

However, further information emerged. They attempted to flee into a safe place, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

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

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

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

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed off the coast. The team 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 a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

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

They then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

On Saturday, a video was released showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are now being held at a federal holding facility in the city.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

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

Video documents the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.