From the Caracas stronghold to a Manhattan court: The Venezuelan leader's seizure in images and geographic charts.

American officials assert their military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president involved months of planning, but the moment Donald Trump gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately two and a half hours.

The surprise early-morning strike this past weekend signified an unprecedented incident in modern politics and culminated in the arrest for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by soldiers belonging to a top-tier American military force while they attempted to escape into a heavily secured panic room, the couple are now in custody in a detention centre in New York and face narco-terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault on Fuerte Tiuna

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, the nation's capital, was clear.

Images of the vast military base, a huge army installation where senior leadership live, reveal bombed out structures and charred, smoking cars.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández stated.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Command

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

The US cut power to the city, Trump has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to neutralize the nation's air defences and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airport. Images show the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, however managed to continue flying, officials said.

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

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to accounts.

However, further information emerged. They attempted to flee into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were so fast.

It featured a very thick entryway, a massive door," Trump informed the media. "He made it to the door. He was unable to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The operation was back in international waters by 04:29.

It was on the ship where an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Facing The Legal System in US Territory

That same day, a video emerged showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

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

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

"They will soon face the complete force of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official proclaimed.

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