Gang members in Guatemala kill seven police after prison crackdown: ministerListen to this articleSoldiers take position outside the maximum-security prison in Escuintla, Guatemala. (Photo: AFP)ESCUINTLA (GUATEMALA) - Guatemala's interior minister accused gangs of killing seven police on Sunday in retaliation for the government's refusal to transfer gang leaders to a lower-security prison. Since Saturday morning, the inmates had been holding 45 guards and a psychiatrist hostage to protest the transfer of gang leaders to a maximum-security prison. Since mid-2025, gang members have staged uprisings at prisons to demand their leaders be held in less-restricted conditions. In October, Guatemalan authorities reported that 20 leaders of the Barrio 18 gang had escaped from a prison.

Source: Bangkok Post January 19, 2026 02:35 UTC