Trump says leader of Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang killed in US strike

President says Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores killed in ‘swift and lethal’ military strike with help from Venezuela

The US military has killed a leader in the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, with the help of Venezuela, Donald Trump announced on Friday.

“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela , with whom we are working very well.”

Trump’s post also included a video appearing to show the strike.

Tren de Aragua has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States. Guerrero Flores was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists in crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced in December.

The US state department had offered rewards of up to $5m for information leading to Guerrero Flores’s arrest.

US attorney Jay Clayton said at the time that the gang was responsible for countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking in North America, South America and Europe. Trump nominated Clayton on Thursday to be director of national intelligence.