US President Donald Trump announced that US forces targeted Hector Guerrero Flores, the leader and founder of the Tren de Aragua gang.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US Southern Command carried out a "swift and lethal kinetic strike." The post also included a short declassified video showing a building with a green roof exploding.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated the attack occurred earlier this week and targeted a Tren de Aragua facility in Venezuela. Hegseth also said US forces worked in full cooperation with Venezuelan security forces during the operation.
What is known about Tren de Aragua?
The US National Counterterrorism Center describes Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal network with roots in Venezuela’s Tocorón Prison. According to the agency, the group has between 2,500 and 5,000 members.
The same assessment links the organization to kidnappings, extortion, human and drug trafficking, and overt acts of violence.
Previous actions regarding Flores
The group has been classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the US since February 2025. Flores was named in a federal case filed in Manhattan in December for directing, facilitating, and ordering terrorist acts and violence.
The US State Department previously offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Flores’s capture. Then-US Attorney Jay Clayton described Flores as the mastermind behind the group’s expansion, while DEA official Louis D’Ambrosio said the gang laundered money through cryptocurrency, trafficked tons of drugs, sold war weapons, and carried out cross-border terrorist acts.
