Federal authorities have brought terrorism charges for the first time against a leader of the notoriously violent MS-13 street gang.
Prosecutors also announced Wednesday they will seek the death penalty against another MS-13 leader on Long Island, New York, charged in seven killings, including two high schools students slain with a machete and a baseball bat.
The announcement came a day after grand juries in New York City and Las Vegas charged nearly two dozen MS-13 members, ranging from drug dealing and kidnapping to murder and racketeering.
Tuesday morning, 11 of the 13 suspects were taken into custody: four of them were arrested in the Los Angeles area, and seven others were arrested in Las Vegas. Those arrests were part of a national takedown coordinated between law enforcement agencies in the District of Nevada, Central District of California, Eastern District of New York, and Eastern District of Virginia.
Two other suspects - Juan Angel Reyes (also known as “Angel” and “Mysterio”) and Eder Cruz-Salguero (also known as “Edgar Manolo Ramirez-Salguero” and “Venado”) - are considered fugitives and a warrant remains outstanding for their arrests. Anyone with information as to their whereabouts is asked to contact your local law enforcement office or the Department of Homeland Security by calling 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
Authorities said the prosecutions are part of an effort to dismantle the violent gang.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
