The US state their armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved months of careful preparation, but the moment the US President issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after about 150 minutes.
The shocking early-morning strike on Saturday marked a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Apprehended by soldiers belonging to an elite US army unit when they tried to flee inside a heavily secured panic room, the two are currently detained in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.
A Dawn Assault against the Military Complex
With daybreak on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, became apparent.
Photographs of the vast military base, a huge military complex in which senior leadership live, show blasted structures as well as charred, smouldering vehicles.
The location was this compound where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official stated.
Hours Earlier - The President Issues the Command
"Operation Absolute Resolve" began with reports of explosions at approximately 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).
The US cut power to the city, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.
The aim was to neutralize the nation's air defense systems and open up the path for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.
Our evaluation was that we had maintained completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.
Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airport. Images show the complex on fire, with huge flames 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, however were still able to fly, military leaders stated.
"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.
A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation
Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.
They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.
However, further information were provided. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".
The secure room 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 made it to the door. He was unable to close it."
But even if they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in about "under a minute."
From Caracas to Manhattan
Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.
They were flown out of Caracas via chopper, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned in the Caribbean. The team was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.
Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.
After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.
They were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.
Confronting Justice in US Territory
On Saturday, footage was released depicting the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.
He and Cilia Flores are now detained at a federal holding facility in the city.
They face charges including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and plots to possess machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.
They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.
Footage documents the leader's entry into American and transport to detention.
