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The US assert their armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's president involved many weeks of careful preparation, however when the US President issued the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly two and a half hours.

The shocking pre-dawn attack on Saturday represented a historic event within contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers belonging to an elite US army unit as they tried to escape inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the couple are now being held in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

A Dawn Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

As the sun rose on Saturday, the extent of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's primary city, was clear.

Pictures from the vast military base, a huge army installation where key officials reside, reveal destroyed structures and burned, smoking vehicles.

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

Hours Earlier - Trump Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced with reports of explosions at approximately 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power across the capital, Trump later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to neutralize the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," the top general stated.

Strike locations encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible for miles.

Residents reported the way US military helicopters flew low over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, but were still able to fly, officials stated.

There was significant gunfire," the President noted.

A Rapid Ground Assault

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

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

However, more details were provided. They attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door as our personnel were too quick.

It featured an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He could not to shut it."

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

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were transported some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System in US Territory

On Saturday, a video emerged depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

The couple are presently being held at a federal holding facility in the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

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