From within the Caracas 'fort' all the way to the New York courtroom: The Venezuelan leader's capture in pictures as well as maps.
The US claim the military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's leader involved many weeks of careful preparation, but when the US President issued the order to commence, the mission dubbed "Absolute Resolve" concluded after approximately 150 minutes.
The shocking early-morning assault this past weekend signified a historic incident in modern politics and culminated in the detention of Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.
Seized by troops belonging to an elite American military force when they tried to flee into a fortified safe room, the two are currently in custody at a holding facility in New York and are confronting narco-terrorism indictments.
A Early Morning Raid on the Military Complex
With daybreak that morning, the extent of the armed intervention in the capital, Venezuela's primary city, was evident.
Photographs of Fuerte Tiuna, a massive army installation in which key officials live, depict bombed out buildings as well as charred, smouldering cars.
The location was this facility that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure a party official stated.
Just Moments Earlier - Trump Gives the Command
The mission started amid reports of blasts around 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).
The US cut power across the capital, the President later described, calling it "dark and deadly".
The objective was to neutralize the nation's air defences and open up the path for American assault helicopters to reach the target.
"We assessed that we successfully kept completely the advantage of surprise," a senior military officer commented.
Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airport. Pictures show the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.
Residents reported how US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, en route to the military base.
A number of the aircraft came under fire, however managed to continue flying, military leaders said.
There was a lot of gunfire," Trump added.
A Rapid Ground Assault
After landing, troops from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.
They entered the facility at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without resistance, as per reports.
However, more details were provided. The Maduros tried to escape into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.
"The safe place was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it inside because our guys were too quick.
It featured an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. He reached to the door. He was unable to close it."
But even if they had succeeded to enter the bunker, forces could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."
From the Capital to New York City
Currently under American detention, Nicolás Maduro and his wife were moved some 2,100 miles, to Manhattan.
They were flown out of Caracas via chopper, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship stationed off the coast. The team was completed "over the water" by 04:29.
It was on the ship that an iconic image from the entire mission emerged - Maduro shackled, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold 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 via official aircraft to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter into New York City.
Facing Justice on American Soil
On Saturday, footage emerged showing Maduro at the federal drug agency's main office in the city.
He and Cilia Flores are presently being held in a detention centre in the city.
They face charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, and plots to acquire such weapons and destructive devices against the US.
They are set to encounter the complete force of the US legal system in the United States in American courts," a senior legal official declared.
Footage documents the leader's entry in US and journey into custody.
