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The US state their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president involved months of planning, yet the moment Donald Trump issued the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn attack on Saturday represented a historic event within modern politics and resulted in the detention of Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by troops from an elite American military force as they tried to flee inside a fortified panic room, the pair are currently detained at a holding facility in New York and face narco-terrorism indictments.

A Dawn Raid against the Military Complex

With daybreak on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, the nation's capital, was clear.

Pictures from the vast military base, a massive military complex where senior leadership live, show destroyed buildings as well as charred, smouldering cars.

It was at this base that Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Gives the Order

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

American forces disabled electricity across the capital, Trump has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Targeted sites included the compound, a port and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Residents have described how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but managed to continue flying, officials said.

"It was significant weapons fire," the President added.

A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, as per accounts.

But, further information were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," the President told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

But even if they had managed to enter the safe room, forces could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

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

They then traveled via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing The Legal System in American Soil

That same day, a video emerged depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

The couple are now detained at a federal holding facility in the city.

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

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 into American and transport into custody.