One of the top MS-13 leaders has been captured in Virginia, federal officials say

(Gray News) – Federal officials announced the capture of an alleged leader of the MS-13 gang in Virginia on Thursday morning.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the man is in the U.S. illegally and was living in Virginia about 30 minutes outside of Washington D.C.

“He is an illegal alien from El Salvador, and he will not be living in our country much longer,” Bondi said in a news conference. “He’s in custody this morning. One of the top leaders, right here near our nation’s capital.”

EN ESPAÑOL: Detienen a presunto líder de la violenta pandilla MS-13

The identity of the 24-year-old from El Salvador has not been released.

Bondi said the man is the MS-13 leader of the east coast and is one of the top three leaders in the United States.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, praised the raid. He said the new task force from the Trump administration has arrested 340 criminals in his state.

“It’s this effort that has been enabled by the Trump Administration,” Youngkin said in a statement. “President Trump said, ‘Get the bad guys.’ I’ve been working on this — literally — for the first three years of our administration with little to no help from the senior leadership in the federal government in the Biden Administration.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the Trump administration is keeping Americans safe.

“This is what happens when you let good cops be cops and we’re going to continue to let good cops be cops across this country,” Patel said. “President Trump gave us the executive decision to go after and safeguard our communities … We are returning our communities to safety.”

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