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Top Tren de Aragua leader killed in US military strike, Trump announces

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Originally Published: 12 JUN 26 21:34 ET

By Michael Williams, CNN

(CNN) — One of the top leaders of the cartel and US-designated terrorist organization Tren de Aragua has been killed in a US military strike, President Donald Trump said Friday.

Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, was killed in “a swift and lethal kinetic strike,” Trump announced Friday evening on Truth Social. While the president did not specify when or where Guerrero was killed, he said the strike was “coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well.”

In December, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York charged Guerrero with ordering, directing and facilitating acts of terrorism within the United States.

US Attorney Jay Clayton described him at the time as the “mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization,” while the US government offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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