US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that American forces had carried out a military operation that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, widely known as Niño Guerrero, the alleged leader of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua.
According to Trump, the strike was conducted by the United States Southern Command and was authorized directly by him. He described the operation as swift and successful, saying it eliminated one of the region’s most wanted criminal figures.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said the operation was closely coordinated with authorities in Venezuela.
He noted that the United States and Venezuela had worked together during the mission and claimed that members of Tren de Aragua no longer have a safe place to operate either in Venezuela or elsewhere.
Venezuelan officials later confirmed that Guerrero was killed during a joint operation targeting criminal groups.
The US president did not reveal the exact location of the strike. However, he shared a short video that appeared to show an aerial view of a building surrounded by vegetation before a large explosion occurred, sending smoke into the air.
The footage did not clearly show any people on the ground.
Tren de Aragua is a criminal organization that originated in Venezuela and later expanded into several countries across Latin America.
The group has been accused by authorities of involvement in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, human trafficking, money laundering, and other violent crimes.
The United States has designated the organization as a terrorist group.
Federal prosecutors in New York filed charges against Guerrero in December, accusing him of racketeering, drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and supporting criminal activities linked to the organization.
Investigators described him as a central figure in transforming Tren de Aragua from a prison-based gang into an international criminal network operating across North America, South America, and parts of Europe.
The US State Department had also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
