🔗 Share this article

American officials assert the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader took months of planning, but the moment the US President gave the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately two and a half hours.

The shocking early-morning attack this past weekend represented a historic incident within contemporary international relations and culminated in the detention of Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Seized by troops from an elite American military force when they attempted to flee into a fortified safe room, the couple are now being held in a detention centre in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism charges.

A Early Morning Raid on the Military Complex

With daybreak on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's capital, became apparent.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation in which key officials live, depict blasted structures and charred, smouldering cars.

The location was this facility where the president and first lady were captured, Venezuelan ruling party leader a party official reported.

Just Moments Before - Trump Gives the Command

"Operation Absolute Resolve" commenced amid reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

The US cut power to the city, Trump has since said, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems and open up the path for US military helicopters to get to the target.

"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," the top general commented.

Strike locations encompassed the compound, a maritime facility and an airfield. Images depict Fuerte Tiuna engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen for miles.

Venezuelans have described how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to Fuerte Tiuna.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, however were still able to fly, officials stated.

"It was a lot of weapons fire," Trump noted.

The Lightning-Fast On-the-Ground Operation

Once on the ground, troops from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They gained access the facility just after 2 AM Caracas time, and the Maduros surrendered without a struggle, as per accounts.

However, more details emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.

"The safe place is all steel, and he wasn't able to get inside as our personnel were so fast.

It featured a very thick door, a massive door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to close it."

However, even assuming they had managed to get into the safe room, troops could have breached it in about "under a minute."

From the Capital to Manhattan

Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel stationed in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" before 4:30 AM.

It was on the ship where an iconic image from the entire mission was captured - Maduro in handcuffs, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown at the American naval installation in Cuba.

They were then flown via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York state, before a final helicopter transfer into New York City.

Confronting The Legal System in US Territory

That same day, footage emerged depicting the detainee inside the federal drug agency's main office in New York.

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

They face charges with planning drug-related terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and plots to possess machine guns and destructive devices to use against America.

"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official declared.

Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and transport to detention.