🔗 Share this article

American officials claim their armed forces mission to capture the South American nation's president required months of careful preparation, however when Donald Trump issued the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" concluded after about two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning strike this past weekend signified a never-before-seen incident within contemporary international relations and resulted in the detention for Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force when they tried to escape into a heavily secured safe room, the two are currently being held in a detention centre within New York City and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Assault against the Military Complex

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the military operation in the capital, the nation's primary city, became apparent.

Photographs of the vast military base, a huge army installation where top government officials reside, reveal destroyed buildings as well as charred, smoking cars.

The location was this compound that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández indicated.

Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Command

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

American forces cut power to the city, Trump has since said, calling it pitch black and dangerous.

The goal was to disable the nation's air defences and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach the target.

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

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airport. Pictures depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible for miles.

Residents have described how American choppers flew low over Caracas, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

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

There was significant gunfire," the President noted.

The Rapid Ground Assault

Once on the ground, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They entered to the compound at 02:01 local time, and the Maduros surrendered without resistance, as per accounts.

But, more details emerged. They tried to escape into a safe place, described as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to get to the door because our guys were too quick.

"It was a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," Trump told reporters. "He made it to the door. He was unable to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in approximately "47 seconds".

From the Capital to Manhattan

Now in US custody, the couple were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital via chopper, and taken to a US warship, a warship positioned off the coast. The operation was completed in international waters before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base in Cuba.

The Maduros then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, before a final helicopter transfer to Manhattan.

Confronting The Legal System on American Soil

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

He and Cilia Flores are presently detained in a detention centre in the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and bombs against the US.

They are set to encounter the complete force of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Video documents Maduro's arrival into American and transport into custody.