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Media reports about an al Qaeda connection to Central American criminal gang Mara Salvatrucha continue to surface, despite the lack of solid evidence connecting the El Salvador-based criminal network to the Islamist militants.
The alleged connection between these two widely disparate networks first surfaced in a Sept. 28 Washington Times article, which said unnamed U.S. law enforcement sources provided the background. In subsequent reports, Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez seconded these allegations. To date, however, no other U.S. or Central American authority has publicly alleged a Mara Salvatrucha-al Qaeda link. Despite the lack of substantiation, reports continue to appear on the relation between the Mara gangs and al Qaeda -- most centering on Adnan El Shukrijumah.
Shukrijumah, a suspected al Qaeda operative who is wanted in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and subsequent plots against U.S. financial institutions, is on the U.S. Justice Department's most-wanted list. He has evaded capture for more than three years and reportedly has been traveling through Central America and Mexico in recent months. Although he may indeed be in that region, allegations about his connection to the Mara Salvatrucha seemingly stem more from a need for U.S. aid than from any real security concern.
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