From the Venezuelan capital 'fort' all the way to a Manhattan court: Maduro's apprehension through images as well as geographic charts.

American officials assert their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader took many weeks of careful preparation, however when the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike this past weekend represented an unprecedented event in modern politics and culminated in the detention for Venezuela's president along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Captured by soldiers from a top-tier US army unit while they tried to flee inside a heavily secured panic room, the pair are currently being held at a holding facility within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Dawn Raid against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the extent of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's capital, was clear.

Images of the vast military base, an enormous army installation in which senior leadership live, show destroyed buildings and burned, smoking vehicles.

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

Hours Earlier - Trump Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of blasts at about 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces cut power to the city, the President has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defences and open up the path for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures show the complex on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Venezuelans have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but were still able to fly, officials said.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump added.

The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault

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

They gained access the facility at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per reports.

However, more details were provided. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

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

"It was an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump told reporters. He reached to the door. He was unable to close it."

But even if they had managed to get into the safe room, forces could have blown it open in about "under a minute."

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed off the coast. The team was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

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

Confronting The Legal System in US Territory

That same day, footage emerged showing the detainee inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

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

They face charges including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to acquire machine guns and bombs against the US.

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey into custody.