Honduras MS-13 gang attacks
courtroom to free leader
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| Foresic teams investigate the shooting scene in El Progreso, Honduras (ANSA) |
Heavily-armed gunmen storm a courtroom in Honduras to free a
top leader in the violent MS-13 gang, killing 4 police officers in the process.
By James Blears
Handcuffed MS-13 - or Mara Salvatrucha - gang leader
Alexander Mendoza, nicknamed "Porky", was escorted into a court
hearing in the Honduran town of El Progresso, which is near to the country's
second city of San Pedro Sula.
His guards were attacked by gunmen disguised in police and
military uniforms, who dropped the subterfuge, opening fire.
The fierce firefight, which erupted on the second floor of
the building, developed into a running gun battle.
CCTV footage shows the accused minus handcuffs, armed with a
pistol and a machine gun, fleeing to waiting vehicles outside with his men.
They remain on the run.
Four people died in the mayhem.
Mendoza was arrested, and in 2018 he was jailed for 20
years, convicted of gang membership and money laundering. Yet he was also
facing murder charges, and this court appearance would have furthered those
cases.
Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez has ordered an
investigation, offering a sizeable reward.
Deputy Security Minister Luis Suazo has gone on the record
vowing to bring Mendoza and his accomplices to justice.
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