El Salvador arrests 5 police officers in death squad case

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Authorities El Salvador have arrested five police officers and five civilians for alleged ties to a death squad that killed as many as 40 gang members in the eastern part of the country.

Attorney General Douglas Melendez said Friday that a total of 22 arrest warrants have been issued for police officers, businesspeople and others tied to the death squad. But National Civil Police Commissioner Howard Cotto said that so far 10 had been captured from the structure that had been operating since 2014.

According to prosecutors, a group of businesspeople, whose identities were not released, had brought together national police in some towns to offer them money in exchange for killing gang members.

Melendez said they cannot allow El Salvador to become the Wild West.

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