20 Members of US-Designated Terror Group Escape from Guatemala Prison

Twenty inmates linked to the notorious Barrio 18 gang—recently listed by the United States as a foreign terrorist organisation—have escaped from a detention facility in Guatemala, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

Prison director Ludin Godinez said the gang members “evaded security controls” at the Fraijanes II prison, located southeast of Guatemala City. He revealed that intelligence reports received on Friday had already warned of a possible escape attempt, prompting an ongoing investigation into potential acts of corruption within the facility.

The United States last month blacklisted Barrio 18, a violent El Salvador-based gang notorious for extortion and drug trafficking, as part of its intensified efforts against transnational organised crime.

Reacting to the jailbreak, the US Embassy in Guatemala described the incident as “utterly unacceptable” and urged local authorities to “act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists.” It also warned that Washington would hold accountable anyone providing support to the fugitives.

Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez disclosed that the country currently has about 12,000 gang members and collaborators, with an additional 3,000 in prison. He noted that the national homicide rate has climbed from 16.1 per 100,000 people in 2024 to 17.65 this year—over twice the global average, according to the Centre for National Economic Research.

The Salvadoran government attributes roughly 200,000 deaths over the past three decades to Barrio 18 and its rival gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), which once controlled up to 80 percent of El Salvador and made it one of the most violent nations in the world.