From within the Caracas stronghold all the way to the New York court: The Venezuelan leader's apprehension in pictures and maps.

American officials claim their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's leader took many weeks of careful preparation, yet when Donald Trump issued the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly two and a half hours.

The surprise early-morning attack on Saturday represented a never-before-seen event within contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Captured by soldiers from an elite US army unit while they tried to flee inside a heavily secured panic room, the pair are now being held at a holding facility within New York City and face narco-terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid on Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak on Saturday, the scale of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was evident.

Photographs of the vast military base, an enormous military complex in which key officials live, depict destroyed structures as well as charred, smoking cars.

The location was this facility where Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Before - The President Gives the Command

The mission began with reports of explosions at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, Trump has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The objective was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for US military helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," the top general stated.

Targeted sites encompassed the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible for miles.

Venezuelans reported how US military helicopters flew low over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, but were still able to fly, officials said.

There was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.

A Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to reports.

But, more details emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to get inside because our guys were too quick.

It featured a very thick door, a massive door," Trump told reporters. He reached the entrance. He could not to shut it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the safe room, troops could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From Caracas to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was completed in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold that looked like opaque glasses.

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

The Maduros then traveled via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing Justice in American Soil

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

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

They have been charged including planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed.

Video documents the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.