🔗 Share this article From that Caracas 'fort' to the New York courtroom: The Venezuelan leader's capture through pictures and maps. The US assert their military operation to capture the South American nation's leader involved many weeks of careful preparation, however the moment the US President gave the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately two and a half hours. The unexpected pre-dawn attack this past weekend signified a never-before-seen event within contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro. Seized by troops from an elite US army unit as they tried to escape into a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are now being held at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments. A Early Morning Assault against the Military Complex At sunrise on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's capital, was evident. Pictures of the vast military base, a massive army installation in which key officials reside, reveal destroyed structures and charred, smouldering cars. The location was this base where Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official indicated. Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's biggest armed forces facility, was struck in American airstrikes in the early hours of that Saturday. Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Command The mission started amid reports of blasts at about 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT). The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly". The objective was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the path for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna. Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer commented. Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airport. Images show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames seen for miles. Venezuela declared a state of emergency following the US strikes. Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to the military base. Some of the helicopters came under fire, but were still able to fly, military leaders stated. "It was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted. American aircraft flying over Caracas, with columns of smoke from prior bombings plainly seen. A Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed. They gained access to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, as per accounts. However, more details emerged. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker. The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were so fast. "It was an extremely heavy entryway, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to close it." However, even assuming they had managed to get into the safe room, forces could have blown it open in about "under a minute." From Caracas to Manhattan Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City. They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship stationed off the coast. The team was back in international waters before 4:30 AM. Aboard the vessel where an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses. A photograph of Maduro said to be taken on board the warship. From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay. They were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City. A helicopter carrying the detainees touches down at a helipad in New York City. Maduro could be seen showing a peace sign upon arrival at the landing site in New York. Tight security surrounded the landing zone during the arrival in Manhattan. Confronting Justice on American Soil On Saturday, a video was released showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city. He and Cilia Flores are now detained in a detention centre in the city. They face charges with planning narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to acquire machine guns and bombs against the US. They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official proclaimed. Footage shows the leader's entry into American and transport into custody.