🔗 Share this article From within the Caracas 'fort' all the way to the New York courtroom: Maduro's apprehension in images as well as geographic charts. The US claim the armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's leader involved months of planning, but the moment Donald Trump issued the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted roughly two and a half hours. The unexpected pre-dawn strike this past weekend represented a never-before-seen incident in modern politics and culminated in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro. Captured by troops from a top-tier US army unit while they tried to escape into a heavily secured panic room, the pair are now being held at a holding facility within New York City and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments. The Dawn Assault against the Military Complex As the sun rose on Saturday, the extent of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was evident. Pictures of Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation where key officials live, reveal bombed out structures and burned, smoking vehicles. It was at this compound that Maduro and his wife were captured, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández indicated. Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest armed forces facility, was hit by US strikes in the early hours of that Saturday. Just Moments Earlier - The President Gives the Command "Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of explosions at about 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time). American forces disabled electricity across the capital, the President has since said, describing it as "dark and deadly". The goal was to disable the nation's air defences and clear the way for American assault helicopters to reach the target. "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 engulfed in flames, with massive fires seen for miles. Venezuela declared a national emergency following the American attacks. 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 were still able to fly, officials stated. There was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted. US military helicopters flying over Caracas, with columns of smoke from prior bombings clearly visible. The Lightning-Fast Ground Assault After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, moved quickly. They gained access the facility at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without a struggle, as per accounts. But, more details were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker. The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it inside because our guys were so fast. It featured a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. He reached the entrance. He was unable to shut it." But even if they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have blown it open in about "under a minute." From Caracas to New York City Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City. They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and taken to a US warship, a naval vessel stationed off the coast. The team was completed "over the water" by 04:29. Aboard the vessel where an iconic image of the whole operation emerged - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses. An image of Maduro reportedly captured aboard the warship. From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba. The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to a military airfield in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan. A helicopter transporting the detainees touches down at a helipad in New York City. The Venezuelan leader was spotted flashing a V-sign when he arrived at a heliport in the city. Heavy security was present around the landing zone as the Maduros arrived in Manhattan. Confronting The Legal System on US Territory That same day, a video emerged depicting Maduro inside the federal drug agency's headquarters in the city. He and Cilia Flores are now being held at a federal holding facility within the city. They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, owning machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to acquire such weapons and bombs against the US. They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official declared. Video documents Maduro's arrival in US and journey to detention.