Trump says US strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang
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- U.S. President Donald Trump announced a strike that killed Nino Guerrero, leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
- Trump stated the strike was coordinated with Venezuelan authorities and described it as "swift and lethal."
- Tren de Aragua is a transnational gang designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., active in multiple South American countries and Europe.
President Donald Trump announced late Friday that the United States had conducted a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" that killed Nino Guerrero, the leader of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), founded in Venezuela. Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that the operation was "coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well."
At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero.
"At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero," Trump wrote. He added, "As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else," without specifying the strike's location. The announcement was accompanied by a 10-second video showing an aerial view of a building before an explosion.
The attack was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well.
The U.S. has designated Tren de Aragua, which operates in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, as a terrorist organization. In December, federal prosecutors in New York filed racketeering, drug, and firearms charges against Guerrero, whose real name is Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. Prosecutors described him as the "mastermind" behind the gang's evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization.
As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else.
Under Guerrero Flores's leadership, TdA has been accused of "countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking all over North America, South America, and Europe," according to U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. The U.S. State Department had previously offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Guerrero's arrest or conviction.
Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Jamaica Observer. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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