🔗 Share this article

American officials assert their military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader involved months of planning, however the moment the US President gave the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in approximately 150 minutes.

The unexpected early-morning assault this past weekend signified a never-before-seen incident in contemporary international relations and culminated in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops belonging to a top-tier US army unit as they tried to flee into a fortified panic room, the pair are now detained in a detention centre in New York and are confronting drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.

The Dawn Raid against the Military Complex

With daybreak that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Images from Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous military complex in which key officials reside, show bombed out buildings as well as burned, smoking vehicles.

It was at this base that the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Order

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

American forces disabled electricity across the capital, the President later described, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The aim was to neutralize the nation's air defences and clear the way for American assault helicopters to reach the target.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept totally the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer remarked.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a port and an airfield. Images depict the complex engulfed in flames, with massive fires visible for miles.

Residents reported the way US military helicopters flew low above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, however were still able to fly, military leaders said.

There was a lot of weapons fire," the President noted.

The Rapid Ground Assault

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

They entered to the compound just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, according to reports.

But, more details were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a safe place, referred to 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 was a very thick door, a massive door," the President told reporters. "He made it the entrance. He could not to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to enter the bunker, troops could have blown it open in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were transported approximately 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned off the coast. The team was completed "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

Aboard the vessel that an iconic image of the whole operation was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear resembling opaque glasses.

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

The Maduros then traveled via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Confronting Justice on US Territory

That same day, footage emerged depicting Maduro inside the federal drug agency's main office in the city.

The couple are now detained in a detention centre in the city.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

"They will soon face the complete force of American justice on American soil in American courts," the Attorney General declared.

Footage shows the leader's entry into American and transport into custody.