🔗 Share this article

The US state the armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's leader required many weeks of planning, however the moment the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly 150 minutes.

The unexpected early-morning strike on Saturday signified a never-before-seen incident within modern politics and resulted in the detention for Venezuela's president and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops from a top-tier US army unit when they attempted to escape inside a fortified panic room, the pair are now detained in a detention centre in New York and face narco-terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

As the sun rose that morning, the scale of the military operation in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, was clear.

Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation where top government officials reside, show blasted buildings as well as burned, smouldering cars.

The location was this base that the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Hours Before - The President Issues the Order

The mission began amid reports of explosions around 2 AM local time (06:00 GMT).

American forces cut power across the capital, the President later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and clear the path for US military helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images show Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen for miles.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew low over Caracas, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

A number of the aircraft came under fire, but were still able to fly, officials stated.

There was a lot of gunfire," the President added.

The Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, forces from the US Army's Delta Force, sprang into action.

They entered the facility at 02:01 local time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, as per accounts.

However, more details emerged. They attempted to flee into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it inside as our personnel were so fast.

"It was a very thick entryway, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He was unable to shut it."

However, even assuming they had succeeded to enter the safe room, troops could have breached it in about "47 seconds".

From Caracas to New York City

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back in international waters before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel where an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, a video was released showing Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

The couple are now detained at a federal holding facility within the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General proclaimed.

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