From the Caracas stronghold all the way to a New York courtroom: Maduro's apprehension through pictures and geographic charts.

American officials assert their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved many weeks of careful preparation, but the moment Donald Trump issued the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning assault on Saturday marked an unprecedented event within contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops from a top-tier US army unit as they tried to escape into a heavily secured safe room, the couple are now detained at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.

A Dawn Assault against the Military Complex

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

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex in which top government officials reside, show destroyed buildings and burned, smoking vehicles.

It was at this compound that Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Command

The mission started amid reports of blasts around 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

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

The goal was to disable the nation'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", the top general remarked.

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex on fire, with huge flames visible for miles.

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

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.

There was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per accounts.

However, more details emerged. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a military "fortress".

"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to get inside because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick door, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. He reached to the door. He was unable to close it."

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

From the Capital to New York City

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

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.

It was on the ship that one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Confronting Justice on US Territory

That same day, footage was released showing Maduro at the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are now detained in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged with planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to possess such weapons and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed.

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