From the Caracas 'fort' all the way to a Manhattan court: Maduro's seizure through pictures and maps.

American officials assert their military operation to capture Venezuela's president involved months of planning, yet the moment the US President gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours.

The shocking early-morning strike on Saturday signified a historic event in contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by soldiers belonging to a top-tier US army unit as they attempted to escape into a fortified secure chamber, the couple are now in custody in a detention centre within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Early Morning Assault on the Military Complex

As the sun rose on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's capital, was clear.

Images from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation in which senior leadership live, show bombed out structures and burned, smoking cars.

The location was this compound where Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández stated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Command

The mission started with reports of blasts at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power across the capital, Trump later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

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

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer stated.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airport. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen for miles.

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

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

"It was a lot of weapons fire," Trump added.

A Rapid Ground Assault

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

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

But, further information were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it inside as our personnel were so fast.

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

But even if they had managed to get into the safe room, troops could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was completed "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice on American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

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

They face charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire machine guns and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Video documents Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.