🔗 Share this article

The US assert the armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president required many weeks of planning, yet the moment the US President issued the command to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after roughly 150 minutes.

The unexpected pre-dawn assault this past weekend represented a never-before-seen incident in modern politics and resulted in the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Seized by soldiers from an elite US army unit as they tried to escape into a heavily secured panic room, the pair are currently being held at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism accusations.

A Early Morning Raid against Fuerte Tiuna

With daybreak that morning, the magnitude of the military operation in Caracas, the nation's capital, was clear.

Images of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation where senior leadership reside, show bombed out structures and burned, smouldering cars.

It was at this base that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández stated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started with reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US cut power across the capital, the President has since said, calling it "dark and deadly".

The goal was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the path for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer commented.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airport. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires visible from a great distance.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew at low altitude over Caracas, en route to the military base.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however managed to continue flying, officials stated.

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

A Rapid On-the-Ground Operation

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

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per reports.

However, more details were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he failed to make it to the door as our personnel were too quick.

It featured an extremely heavy door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He could not to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, forces could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to New York City

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

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The team was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president 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 at Guantánamo Bay.

The Maduros were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing Justice on American Soil

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

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

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force 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.