HUGE Arrest Made – Bondi and Patel Hold Emergency Press Conference
On Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the successful capture of the highest-ranking MS-13 leader on the East Coast.
The arrest took place in Woodbridge, Virginia, a town located south of Washington, D.C. The suspect, a 24-year-old, has not yet been publicly identified. However, authorities confirm that he is one of the top three most powerful MS-13 leaders in the country.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel observed the operation from a nearby tactical command center. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and a senior Department of Justice official, Emil Bove, were also present.
“Early this morning, one of the top leaders of MS-13 was apprehended. He was the leader for the East Coast, one of the top three in the entire country, right here in Virginia … He is an illegal alien from El Salvador — and he will not be living in our country much longer,” Bondi stated.
“They executed a clean, safe operation, and the bad guy is in custody. And thanks to the FBI, we got one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning. Virginia and the country is a lot safer today,” Bondi added.
“From the second Donald Trump took office, he said he is going to make America safe. He shut down our borders and now it’s our job to get these people out of our country… We will not have another Laken Riley,” Bondi continued.
“Arrests have increased 468% from the same period last year. We didn’t need new laws, as President Trump always says — we needed a new president,” she stated. “America is safer today because one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13, he is off the streets. This has been an ongoing directive of President Trump. His directive to me when I became Attorney General of the United States was very simple: Keep America safe.”
Patel remarked, “This task force is going to go everywhere as needed, across the United States to bring the form of justice and measured security and safety that our American citizens deserve… If you are going to continue to commit acts of violent crime, you will meet the same fate that this individual did this morning.”
“This is what happens when you let good cops be cops and we’re going to continue to let good cops be cops across this country… We are returning our communities to safety,” Patel emphasized.
He also praised law enforcement officers for their precise execution of the operation.
“This is what can happen when you put good cops in good places to take on bad guys. And America should be watching this. And we are proud to be here standing with these brave warriors,” Patel said.
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Virginia’s Republican Governor, Glenn Youngkin, commended the Trump administration for its leadership in the operation.
“Thank you, and welcome to Virginia. What this task force over the course of the last four weeks represents is the model, the model of federal resources, state resources, and local resources coming together in order to eradicate the drug and terrorist networks that exist,” Youngkin said.