American officials claim their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president required many weeks of careful preparation, however when the US President gave the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly two and a half hours.
The surprise pre-dawn assault on Saturday marked a never-before-seen incident in modern politics and led directly to the arrest for Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Seized by soldiers from an elite US army unit when they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are now in custody 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 that morning, the extent of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's primary city, became apparent.
Images of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex where senior leadership live, depict bombed out structures and burned, smoking cars.
It was at this base that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández reported.
Just Moments Before - Trump Gives the Order
The mission began amid reports of explosions at approximately 2 AM in Caracas (06:00 GMT).
The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.
The aim was to disable Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for US military helicopters to get to the target.
"We assessed that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," the top general commented.
Targeted sites encompassed the base, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures show the complex on fire, with massive fires seen from a great distance.
Residents reported the way American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, heading for the military base.
A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, officials stated.
"It was significant gunfire," Trump noted.
The Rapid On-the-Ground Operation
After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.
They gained access to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.
However, further information emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.
"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it inside as our personnel were so fast.
It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," the President told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."
However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, troops could have blown it open in about "under a minute."
From the Capital to New York City
Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.
They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.
Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.
After leaving the ship, 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 into New York City.
Confronting The Legal System on American Soil
On Saturday, footage was released showing the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.
The couple are now detained at a federal holding facility within the city.
They face charges with planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons and bombs against the US.
They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.
Video shows the leader's entry into American and journey to detention.
