At least seven killed in Guatemala funeral attack

GUATEMALA CITY: At least seven people were killed and 13 wounded in an armed attack at a funeral in Guatemala on Tuesday, in an incident linked to gang-related disputes, government officials said.Guatemala is plagued by the violent rivalry between the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, which Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez blamed as the likely cause of the incident.Armed men stormed a funeral home during the wake of a Barrio 18 member killed on Monday in the capital Guatemala City, Jimenez said in a statement.While the wake was taking place, "rival gang members from Mara Salvatrucha stormed the funeral home and fired at the family and friends" of the deceased, he added.Guatemala City municipal spokesperson Amilcar Montejo said the gunmen opened fire inside the funeral home, leaving "seven dead and 13 wounded."More injured victims were found just meters from the scene of the shooting.The attackers, who arrived on motorcycles, fled the scene. Authorities cordoned off the area as forensic teams recovered the bodies.Jimenez said the wake had been considered "high risk" due to "the profile of the deceased," and regretted that the police officers assigned to monitor the event had abandoned their posts before the attack.

He called the situation "unacceptable" and said the officers would be investigated by the internal affairs unit."If found responsible, they will immediately brought before the courts," he said.Mara Salvatrucha was formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants who fled the civil war in their home country.The gang since spread to Guatemala and Honduras, turning the region into one of the most violent in the world.It has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.The Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs are battling for territorial control in Guatemala, extorting shopkeepers, transport workers, and civilians. Those who refuse to pay are often killed.Tuesday's attack "was not directed against ordinary citizens, but rather the result of the cancer that gangs represent for the country," Guatemala's security chief said.The gangs also operate in El Salvador.President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has jailed thousands of gang members under a state of emergency -- a policy criticized by human rights groups over reports of arbitrary arrests.Around 8,000 innocent people arrested in the crackdown have been released, according to Bukele, but activists say thousands remain imprisoned.Guatemala ended 2024 with a homicide rate of 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants -- twice the global average -- according to the interior ministry. However, the figure has dropped from 29.6 in 2014.Authorities attribute half of violent crimes to drug cartel activity and territorial disputes between gangs.