From the Venezuelan capital 'fort' all the way to a Manhattan courtroom: The Venezuelan leader's seizure in pictures as well as geographic charts.

The US claim the military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved months of careful preparation, however the moment Donald Trump issued the order to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike on Saturday represented a historic incident within contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention of Venezuela's president along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by troops belonging to an elite US army unit as they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured panic room, the two are now being held in a detention centre within New York City and face drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Assault against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's primary city, was clear.

Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex in which key officials live, depict bombed out structures as well as charred, smoking cars.

It was at this compound where Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández reported.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced with reports of explosions at about 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

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

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and clear the way for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", the top general remarked.

Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

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

There was significant gunfire," the President noted.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, according to accounts.

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

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to get inside because our guys were so fast.

"It was an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to shut it."

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

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were transported some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing Justice in American Soil

That same day, a video emerged depicting Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges with planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.