From within that Caracas 'fort' to a Manhattan courtroom: The Venezuelan leader's capture through pictures as well as maps.

The US assert their military operation to capture Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, however the moment the US President issued the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted about 150 minutes.

The unexpected early-morning strike this past weekend signified an unprecedented event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by soldiers from a top-tier US army unit while they attempted to flee into a fortified safe room, the couple are currently in custody at a holding facility within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

A Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's capital, became apparent.

Photographs from the vast military base, a huge military complex where top government officials live, reveal bombed out structures as well as charred, smouldering cars.

It was at this facility where the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated.

Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of blasts at approximately 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The goal was to disable the nation's air defences and open up the path for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Residents reported how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to the military base.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but managed to continue flying, officials stated.

"It was a lot of weapons fire," the President added.

A Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per reports.

But, further information were provided. They attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door as our personnel were so fast.

It featured a very thick door, a massive door," the President told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the safe room, troops could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The team was completed in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing The Legal System in American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting the detainee at the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

The couple are now detained at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Footage documents Maduro's arrival in US and journey into custody.