From within that Venezuelan capital 'fort' all the way to the Manhattan courtroom: Maduro's apprehension through images as well as maps.

The US state the military operation to capture Venezuela's leader took months of planning, yet when the US President issued the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly 150 minutes.

The unexpected early-morning strike this past weekend marked an unprecedented incident in contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force as they tried to flee into a fortified safe room, the two are currently detained in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

A Early Morning Raid on the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the military operation in the capital, the nation's primary city, was evident.

Images from the vast military base, a massive army installation where key officials live, show blasted buildings as well as charred, smoking vehicles.

The location was this base where the president and first lady were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Command

The mission started with reports of explosions at about 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US cut power to the city, the President later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defences and clear the way for US military helicopters to get to the target.

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

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images depict the complex on fire, with massive fires seen for miles.

Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, but managed to continue flying, officials said.

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

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, according to reports.

However, more details emerged. They tried to escape into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it to the door as our personnel were too quick.

It featured a very thick door, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. "He made it to the door. He could not to shut it."

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the bunker, forces could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were transported approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

They were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System in US Territory

That same day, footage was released depicting the detainee inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre within the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage shows the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.