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The US state their military operation to capture the South American nation's leader required months of careful preparation, yet when the US President gave the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about two and a half hours.

The shocking early-morning attack on Saturday represented a historic incident in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention of Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by troops from a top-tier US army unit as they attempted to flee inside a heavily secured panic room, the couple are now being held at a holding facility in New York and face narco-terrorism charges.

The Dawn Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's primary city, was clear.

Images from the vast military base, a massive military complex in which top government officials live, depict bombed out buildings and burned, smoking cars.

It was at this compound where Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández stated.

Just Moments Earlier - The President Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of blasts at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power to the city, Trump later described, 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 the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", the top general commented.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airport. Pictures depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported how US military helicopters flew low above the city, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, but managed to continue flying, officials said.

"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, according to accounts.

But, further information emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

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

But even if they had managed to get into the bunker, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Now in US custody, the couple 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 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 emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System in American Soil

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

He and Cilia Flores are now detained in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to possess machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Video documents the leader's entry into American and journey to detention.