🔗 Share this article

The US claim the military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader involved months of planning, yet when Donald Trump gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn strike on Saturday marked a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention of Venezuela's president and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Captured by troops belonging to an elite US army unit when they attempted to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the two are currently detained at a holding facility in New York and face narco-terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Raid on the Military Complex

At sunrise on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's primary city, was clear.

Images of the vast military base, a massive army installation in which senior leadership reside, reveal bombed out structures as well as charred, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this base that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández stated.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces cut power to the city, Trump later described, calling it "dark and deadly".

The objective was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the path for US military helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airport. Images depict the complex on fire, with huge flames seen from a great distance.

Venezuelans reported the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

There was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, moved quickly.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to reports.

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

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he failed to get to the door because our guys were too quick.

"It was an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."

But even if they had succeeded to get into the bunker, forces could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

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

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing Justice on US Territory

On Saturday, a video was released showing Maduro inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

The couple are presently detained in a detention centre within the city.

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to acquire 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 proclaimed.

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