🔗 Share this article

The US state the armed forces mission to capture Venezuela's president involved many weeks of planning, but when the US President issued the command to launch, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" was completed in roughly 150 minutes.

The surprise early-morning attack on Saturday represented a never-before-seen incident in modern politics and culminated in the detention of Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.

Apprehended by troops belonging to a top-tier American military force when they attempted to flee into a heavily secured secure chamber, the couple are now detained in a detention centre within New York City and face narco-terrorism indictments.

A Dawn Raid on the Military Complex

With daybreak on Saturday, the extent of the armed intervention in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was clear.

Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, an enormous army installation in which key officials live, show bombed out buildings and charred, smoking vehicles.

The location was this base that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official stated.

Just Moments Before - The President Gives the Command

The mission began with reports of blasts at approximately 02:00 in Caracas (06:00 GMT).

The US disabled electricity across the capital, the President later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

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

"We assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise", a senior military officer remarked.

Targeted sites included the base, a maritime facility and an airfield. Pictures depict Fuerte Tiuna on fire, with massive fires seen from a great distance.

Residents reported the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to the military base.

Some of the helicopters were shot at, but managed to continue flying, officials stated.

"It was significant gunfire," the President noted.

The Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.

They gained access to the compound just after 2 AM local time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.

However, further information emerged. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room is all steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

"It was a very thick entryway, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. He reached to the door. He was unable to shut it."

But even if they had succeeded to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in approximately "under a minute."

From Caracas to New York City

Now in US custody, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved approximately 3,400 kilometers, to New York City.

They were taken by air out of Caracas by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was back in international waters by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures from the entire mission was captured - the president shackled, with hearing protection and darkened eyewear resembling dark sunglasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, his initial stop was at the American naval installation in Cuba.

They then traveled on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.

Confronting Justice on US Territory

That same day, footage was released showing Maduro at the federal drug agency's headquarters in New York.

He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility within the city.

They have been charged including planning narco-terrorism and import cocaine, owning automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to possess such weapons and destructive devices to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of American justice in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General declared.

Video shows the leader's entry into American and transport to detention.