Guatemalan prison guards freed after being held hostage by gang members

Mara Salvatrucha gang graffiti, in Soyapango, El Salvador (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez, File)

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan authorities on Saturday freed nine prison guards who had been held hostage since Thursday by rioting inmates in Guatemala City, an official said.

Members of Guatemala’s two largest gangs — Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha — began rioting Tuesday in two prisons, demanding the return of 10 leaders who had been transferred to another facility and placed in solitary confinement.

José Portillo, Deputy Minister of Security, told The Associated Press that the guards released Saturday had been held by members of Mara Salvatrucha.

One prison official died Friday after being shot, authorities said, without providing further details.

Local media reported the shooting occurred at one of the prisons involved in the riots.

Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump designated Mara Salvatrucha as a terrorist organization, placing it on a list of criminal groups that he said operate in the region and threaten public safety across the hemisphere.

In another similar incident, anti-kidnapping teams freed 11 guards on Wednesday who were also held hostage by gang members in two Guatemalan prisons.

___

The Associated Press