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The US assert their military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president required months of careful preparation, but the moment Donald Trump gave the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about 150 minutes.

The shocking pre-dawn attack on Saturday represented a never-before-seen incident within modern politics and led directly to the arrest for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by troops belonging to an elite US army unit while they attempted to escape inside a fortified safe room, the couple are currently detained at a holding facility in New York and face narco-terrorism accusations.

A Dawn Raid against the Military Complex

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where senior leadership live, reveal bombed out buildings and charred, smouldering cars.

It was at this compound that the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started amid reports of explosions at approximately 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable the nation's air defences and open up the way for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

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

Residents reported the way American choppers flew low over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, however managed to continue flying, military leaders said.

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

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to reports.

However, further information were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to get inside because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," Trump informed the media. "He made it to the door. He could not to close it."

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

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System in American Soil

That same day, a video was released showing the detainee at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

The couple are presently detained at a federal holding facility within the city.

They have been charged including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

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

Video shows Maduro's arrival in US and journey into custody.