🔗 Share this article From within the Caracas stronghold all the way to the New York courtroom: The Venezuelan leader's seizure through photographs and geographic charts. The US state their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president involved months of planning, however when Donald Trump gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted about 150 minutes. The unexpected early-morning assault on Saturday signified a historic incident in modern politics and resulted in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Seized by soldiers belonging to a top-tier US army unit when they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured safe room, the couple are now in custody at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments. The Dawn Raid on Fuerte Tiuna At sunrise that morning, the scale of the military operation in Caracas, Venezuela's primary city, became apparent. Images from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex in which top government officials reside, show bombed out buildings as well as burned, smouldering cars. It was at this compound that the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated. The major military base, Venezuela's biggest military complex, was struck by US strikes in the early hours of that Saturday. Hours Before - Trump Issues the Order The mission commenced amid reports of blasts at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT). The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous. The aim was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna. "We assessed that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," the top general stated. Strike locations included the base, a port and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames visible for miles. Venezuela announced a national emergency following the US strikes. Residents have described how American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna. Some of the helicopters were shot at, however managed to continue flying, military leaders stated. "It was a lot of weapons fire," Trump added. US military helicopters flying over the capital, with plumes of smoke from earlier air strikes plainly seen. The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action. They entered the facility at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per reports. But, further information emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress". The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were so fast. "It was a very thick entryway, a massive door," the President told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He could not to shut it." However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the bunker, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds". From Caracas to New York City Currently under American detention, the couple were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan. They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed in international waters before 4:30 AM. Aboard the vessel that an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses. An image showing the detained leader reportedly taken on board the USS Iwo Jima. From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay. They were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan. A helicopter carrying the Maduros lands on a landing pad in New York City. Maduro was spotted flashing a peace sign when he arrived at the landing site in the city. Tight security surrounded the helipad as the Maduros arrived in Manhattan. Facing The Legal System in American Soil That same day, a video emerged showing the detainee at the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York. He and Cilia Flores are now detained in a detention centre in the city. They face charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to possess such weapons and destructive devices against the US. They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared. Video shows Maduro's arrival in US and transport into custody.