Trump Says U.S. Strike Killed Tren de Aragua Leader

U.S. President Donald Trump said overnight on Truth Social that the American military struck and killed the leader of the gang Tren de Aragua. He said the operation was “closely coordinated” with friends in Venezuela and that it was carried out by U.S. Southern Command.

In his post, Trump said the strike was a “quick, lethal kinetic strike” that successfully eliminated “Nino Guerrero,” whom he described as the notorious leader of “one of the most violent terrorist organizations anywhere on Earth.” He also repeated his long-standing claim that before he returned to office, Joe Biden opened the southern border to “millions of illegal criminals.”

Trump said that during his campaign he promised to remove such “monsters” from the United States and bring justice to the families of victims, naming 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray and 22-year-old Laken Riley. He said the military action delivered “revenge” for them and for “countless other beautiful souls.”

He added that his administration had already designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, deported thousands of criminals, and waged war on cartels. Trump ended by saying the group no longer has a safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else, and that the U.S. will pursue its leaders and drug bosses “any time, any place.”