The US assert the military operation to capture Venezuela's leader required months of careful preparation, however when Donald Trump gave the command to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted approximately two and a half hours.
The surprise early-morning strike this past weekend marked a historic event in contemporary international relations and resulted in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
Captured by soldiers from an elite US army unit when they attempted to flee inside a fortified panic room, the two are now detained at a holding facility in New York and face narco-terrorism indictments.
The Early Morning Raid on the Military Complex
With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's primary city, was clear.
Pictures from Fuerte Tiuna, a massive military complex where top government officials reside, depict blasted buildings and burned, smouldering vehicles.
It was at this facility where the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández indicated.
Just Moments Before - The President Issues the Command
The mission commenced amid reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).
American forces cut power to the city, Trump later described, calling it "dark and deadly".
The aim was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the path for American assault helicopters to get to the target.
Our evaluation was that we had maintained totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.
Targeted sites encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Pictures show Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.
Venezuelans have described the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.
Some of the helicopters came under fire, but were still able to fly, officials said.
There was significant weapons fire," Trump noted.
A Lightning-Fast Ground Assault
Once on the ground, forces from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.
They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per reports.
But, further information were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a safe place, described as a military "fortress".
"The safe place is all steel, and he failed to get to the door because our guys were so fast.
"It was a very thick door, a very heavy door," the President told reporters. He reached the entrance. He was unable to shut it."
But even if they had succeeded to get into the safe room, forces could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".
From the Capital to Manhattan
Now in US custody, the couple were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to Manhattan.
They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed in the Caribbean. The operation was back "over the water" by 04:29.
Aboard the vessel that an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold that looked like dark sunglasses.
After leaving the ship, his initial stop was to the US Navy base in Cuba.
The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.
Confronting Justice in American Soil
On Saturday, a video emerged depicting Maduro at the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) main office in the city.
He and Cilia Flores are now detained at a federal holding facility within the city.
They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and destructive devices against the US.
"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.
Video shows the leader's entry into American and journey into custody.
