Donald Trump announces that the leader of “one of the bloodiest terrorist organizations on the planet” has been killed in a US strike. Who was Niño Guerrero
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that US forces had carried out an attack that killed Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, the leader of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, Reuters notes.
“At my order, the United States Southern Command executed a swift and lethal strike, successfully eliminating Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of the Tren de Aragua, one of the bloodiest terrorist organizations on the planet,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
He added that the operation was closely coordinated with the Venezuelan authorities, with whom, according to him, Washington cooperates very well.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Platform X that the attack was carried out earlier this week and that Guerrero's death was confirmed during the operation.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Information stated that during an operation carried out in the state of Bolívar, confrontations took place with members of criminal groups, and their leader, Guerrero, was “neutralized”. According to the authorities in Caracas, the mission benefited from specialized technological support and was carried out through cooperation and exchange of information between the institutions of the two countries.
What is the Tren de Aragua group
The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted Guerrero and other Tren de Aragua leaders with sanctions, accusing them of involvement in drug trafficking, human trafficking and money laundering. The US State Department has also designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Tren de Aragua coordinated its activities in the United States with the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro. His administration has invoked this alleged connection to justify deporting some immigrants in the US to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
Tren de Aragua is known for its involvement in human trafficking and for controlling routes used by Venezuelan and South American migrants heading to Chile or other destinations in South America and Europe. According to authorities in the region, the group is also involved in kidnappings, money laundering, contract killings, smuggling and organized commercial theft.
Guerrero escaped in 2023 from the Tocorón prison in Venezuela, along with other leaders of the group, shortly before a raid by law enforcement.
