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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Police in El Salvador have arrested 40 members of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang accused of at least eight killings, five kidnappings and membership in a terrorist organization.
El Salvador's Supreme Court recently declared the street gangs to be terrorist organizations, making their members liable to stiffer jail terms.
Prosecutors say the arrests occurred Tuesday on the outskirts of San Salvador.
Also Tuesday, dozens of prison guards marched through the capital demanding a bonus and pay increases.
Most marched with ski masks over their faces. They were demanding that they get a $600 bonus given to police officers and a $1,000 monthly salary. Base salaries for guards are now less than half that amount, and the guards say their jobs in the country's overcrowded prisons are dangerous.
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