🔗 Share this article From the Caracas 'fort' all the way to a Manhattan courtroom: Maduro's capture through photographs and geographic charts. The US claim their military operation to capture Venezuela's leader took months of planning, however the moment the US President gave the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted about two and a half hours. The shocking pre-dawn attack this past weekend represented an unprecedented event in contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores. Seized by troops from an elite American military force while they attempted to escape into a fortified secure chamber, the couple are currently being held at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments. The Dawn Assault against the Military Complex At sunrise that morning, the magnitude of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's capital, became apparent. Photographs from the vast military base, a massive army installation where top government officials live, reveal destroyed structures as well as burned, smoking vehicles. It was at this compound that the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official stated. The major military base, the country's biggest armed forces facility, was hit by US strikes early on that Saturday. Hours Earlier - The President Gives the Command "Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of blasts at about 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time). The US cut power to the city, the President has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous. The goal was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the way for American assault helicopters to get to Fuerte Tiuna. Our evaluation was that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer remarked. Targeted sites encompassed the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images depict the complex on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance. Venezuela announced a national emergency in the wake of the American attacks. Venezuelans have described how American choppers flew low above the city, heading for the military base. A number of the aircraft came under fire, but managed to continue flying, military leaders said. "It was a lot of weapons fire," Trump added. US military helicopters flying over Caracas, with plumes of smoke from prior bombings clearly visible. A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed. They entered the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, according to accounts. However, further information emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker. "The safe place is all steel, and he failed to make it inside because our guys were so fast. It featured an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. He reached to the door. He could not to close it." But even if they had managed to enter the bunker, forces could have breached it in about "47 seconds". From Caracas to Manhattan Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were transported approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City. They were flown out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29. It was on the ship where an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling dark sunglasses. An image showing the detained leader reportedly captured aboard the warship. From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay. They then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan. An aircraft transporting the detainees touches down at a helipad in New York City. Maduro could be seen showing a V-sign when he arrived at a heliport in New York. Tight security surrounded the landing zone as the Maduros arrived in Manhattan. Facing Justice in American Soil On Saturday, a video emerged showing the detainee inside the federal drug agency's main office in New York. The couple are now being held in a detention centre in the city. They have been charged including conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US. "They will soon face the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared. Video documents the leader's entry in US and journey to detention.