At least seven killed in Guatemala funeral assault

At least seven individuals have been killed and 13 wounded in an armed assault at a funeral in Guatemala on Tuesday (July 29, 2025), in an incident linked to gang-related disputes, authorities officers stated.

Guatemala is tormented by the violent rivalry between the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, which Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez blamed because the probably reason for the incident.

Armed males stormed a funeral dwelling through the wake of a Barrio 18 member killed on Monday within the capital, Guatemala City, Mr. Jimenez stated in a press release.

While the wake was happening, “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 stated the gunmen opened fireplace contained in the funeral dwelling, leaving “seven dead and 13 wounded.”

More injured victims have been discovered simply meters from the scene of the capturing. The attackers, who arrived on bikes, fled the scene.

Authorities cordoned off the realm as forensic groups recovered the our bodies.

Mr. Jimenez stated the wake had been thought-about “high risk” because of “the profile of the deceased,” and regretted that the law enforcement officials assigned to watch the occasion had deserted their posts earlier than the assault.

He referred to as the state of affairs “unacceptable” and stated the officers can be investigated by the interior affairs unit. “If found responsible, they will immediately brought before the courts,” he stated.

A ‘most cancers’

Mara Salvatrucha was shaped in Los Angeles within the Nineteen Eighties by Salvadoran immigrants who fled the civil struggle of their dwelling nation.

The gang since unfold to Guatemala and Honduras, turning the area into one of the crucial violent on this planet. It has been designated a terrorist group by the United States.

The Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs are battling for territorial management in Guatemala, extorting shopkeepers, transport staff, and civilians.

Those who refuse to pay are sometimes killed.

Tuesday’s assault “was not directed against ordinary citizens, but rather the result of the cancer that gangs represent for the country,” Guatemala’s safety chief stated.

The gangs additionally function in El Salvador.

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has jailed hundreds of gang members beneath a state of emergency — a coverage criticized by human rights teams over experiences of arbitrary arrests.

Around 8,000 harmless individuals arrested within the crackdown have been launched, in line with Bukele, however activists say hundreds stay imprisoned.

Guatemala ended 2024 with a murder charge of 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants — twice the worldwide common — in line with the inside ministry. However, the determine has dropped from 29.6 in 2014.

Authorities attribute half of violent crimes to drug cartel exercise and territorial disputes between gangs.