The US government charged 14 alleged ringleaders of MS-13 on drugs and terrorism charges in a crackdown on the notoriously brutal and decades-old crime gang, the Justice Department said on Thursday.
The department said it had charged members of the top tier of MS-13, the so-called Ranfla Nacional, on terrorism-related offences.
MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, traces its roots to Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s, and runs violent drug rings across the US, El Salvador, Mexico and beyond.
An indictment, filed in Central Islip, New York, and unsealed on Thursday, detailed conspiracies to support terrorists, commit acts of terrorism and finance terrorism, the department said.
“The indictment announced today is the highest-reaching and most sweeping indictment targeting MS-13 and its command and control structure in US history,” acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen said.
US officials said Borromeo Enrique Henriquez, considered the most powerful member of Ranfla Nacional, and 10 others were in custody in El Salvador and that Washington would “explore options for their extradition”.
The indictment says the ringleaders ran an organised system to recruit and train gang members, including children, in military-style camps, and oversaw gang activities from their prison cells.
Three of the defendants, Hugo Armando Quinteros Mineros, Cesar Humberto Lopez Larios and Fredy Ivan Jandres Parada, are still at large and should be treated as armed and dangerous, officials said.
The US is offering $20,000 in rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the three men.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
