From that Caracas stronghold to a Manhattan court: Maduro's seizure through pictures as well as maps.
American officials state their military operation aimed at apprehending Venezuela's leader required many weeks of planning, however when Donald Trump issued the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after about 150 minutes.
The unexpected pre-dawn attack on Saturday signified a never-before-seen event within modern politics and resulted in the arrest for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
Apprehended by troops belonging to an elite US army unit while they attempted to flee into a fortified safe room, the two are now being held in a detention centre in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism accusations.
The Early Morning Raid on the Military Complex
As the sun rose on Saturday, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's primary city, was evident.
Images of the vast military base, a huge army installation where top government officials reside, reveal blasted buildings and burned, smoking vehicles.
It was at this compound that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official indicated.
Just Moments Before - Trump Issues the Order
"Operation Absolute Resolve" began amid reports of explosions around 2 AM local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).
The US cut power to the city, the President later described, describing it as "dark and deadly".
The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for American assault helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.
"We assessed that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.
Targeted sites encompassed the base, a port and an airfield. Pictures depict the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames visible from a great distance.
Residents have described the way American choppers flew low above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.
A number of the aircraft were shot at, however were still able to fly, officials stated.
"It was a lot of gunfire," Trump added.
The Rapid Ground Assault
After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.
They gained access the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, as per accounts.
However, more details were provided. They tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a heavily fortified bunker.
The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to get inside because our guys were so fast.
"It was an extremely heavy entryway, a massive door," Trump told reporters. He reached to the door. He was unable to shut it."
However, even assuming they had succeeded to get into the bunker, troops could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".
From the Capital to Manhattan
Currently under American detention, the couple were moved some 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.
They were taken by air out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel positioned off the coast. The team was completed "over the water" by 04:29.
Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.
After leaving the ship, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.
The Maduros were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.
Facing The Legal System on US Territory
That same day, a video emerged depicting the detainee inside the federal drug agency's main office in New York.
He and Cilia Flores are now detained in a detention centre within the city.
They have been charged with planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.
They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system on American soil within US courtrooms," a senior legal official declared.
Video documents the leader's entry in US and journey into custody.
