Trump Says US Strike Killed Tren de Aragua Leader Nino Guerrero

WASHINGTON, United States - President Donald Trump said late Friday that the United States had launched a fatal operation against Nino Guerrero, the head of Tren de Aragua, a cross-border criminal organisation that began in Venezuela.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump said: "At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero." He also said the operation "was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well," an apparent reference to the interim leadership of Delcy Rodriguez, who has held office since the United States removed Nicolas Maduro from power in January.

Trump added: "As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else." His post did not identify the country or location where the strike was carried out.

The post included a 10-second clip filmed from above. It showed a structure in a green area before an explosion erupted and smoke rose from the site. No individuals could be plainly seen in the video.

Washington has listed Tren de Aragua, also known as TdA, as a terrorist organisation. The group operates beyond Venezuela, including in Colombia, Peru and Chile.

In December, federal prosecutors in New York brought racketeering, narcotics and firearms charges against Guerrero, whose full name is Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores.

US Attorney Jay Clayton said at the time of the indictment that "Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization." Clayton also said TdA, under Guerrero Flores's command, had "committed countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking all over North America, South America, and Europe."

The US State Department had posted a US$5-million reward for information that could result in Guerrero Flores being arrested or convicted.