🔗 Share this article

American officials claim the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending Venezuela's president took many weeks of careful preparation, yet when Donald Trump issued the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after about two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning attack on Saturday signified a never-before-seen event within modern politics and led directly to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by soldiers belonging to a top-tier US army unit as they tried to flee inside a fortified panic room, the two are currently being held in a detention centre in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's capital, became apparent.

Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge military complex where senior leadership reside, reveal blasted buildings as well as burned, smouldering vehicles.

The location was this facility that Maduro and his wife were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of blasts at about 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US disabled electricity to the city, Trump later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to disable the nation's air defense systems and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach the target.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", the top general remarked.

Strike locations encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Images show the complex on fire, with huge flames visible for miles.

Venezuelans reported how American choppers flew low above the city, heading for the military base.

A number of the aircraft were shot at, however managed to continue flying, military leaders said.

There was significant gunfire," Trump noted.

A Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, sprang into action.

They gained access to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple surrendered without resistance, as per accounts.

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

The secure room is all steel, and he failed to get inside because our guys were too quick.

"It was an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to close it."

But even if they had managed to enter the bunker, troops could have blown it open in about "under a minute."

From Caracas to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported some 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The team was completed in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Facing The Legal System on American Soil

That same day, a video was released depicting the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are now detained at a federal holding facility in the city.

They face charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to acquire such weapons and bombs against the US.

"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows the leader's entry in US and journey into custody.