EXCLUSIVE: The First Photos Of The FBI’s Arrest Of Major MS-13 Leader

The Daily Caller exclusively obtained the first photos of the FBI’s raid Thursday that resulted in the arrest of a major MS-13 leader.

Law enforcement arrested top MS-13 leader, Henry Josue Villatoro-Santos, in an early morning raid in Northern Virginia.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin and FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest at a press conference March 27. Villatoro-Santos, who was allegedly one of the top three leaders of the gang in the U.S., was caught just miles outside of Washington, D.C.

The FBI shared with the Caller the first photos of the raid, offering a behind the scenes look at the operation. (RELATED: Kash Patel Fires Up First Statement As FBI Director, Tells Media ‘Bring It On’)

MS-13 is an international criminal syndicate that has been tied to countless murders, rapes and other heinous crimes across the country. The gang originated in Los Angeles, but is now largely associated with Salvadoran nationals.

“He was the leader for the East Coast, one of the top three in the entire country, right here in Virginia, living half an hour outside of Washington, D.C.,” Bondi said at a joint press conference. “He is an illegal alien from El Salvador and he will not be living in our country much longer.”

“America is safer today because one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13 is off the streets,” Bondi continued.

In two photos obtained by the Caller, FBI Director Kash Patel is seen thanking agents for their work the day of the raid.

To capture Villatoro-Santos, an FBI SWAT team breached the front and rear door of his mother’s home, the New York Post reported. After agents spotted Villatoro-Santos trying to hide and refusing to surrender, agents lobbed a stun grenade and pulled him out of the house, according to the outlet.

[Photo Obtained By The Daily Caller]

[Photo Obtained By The Daily Caller]

Bondi said on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” that Villatoro-Santos had been recruited to join the gang in middle school. According to officials, he had a stash of weapons, ammunition, and silencers in his garage when they found him.

Villatoro-Santos’ mother denied to WUSA9 News, a local outlet, that her son was a part of the gang.

Daily Caller Senior Editor Amber Duke asked Patel during Thursday’s press conference how long the gang member had been living in the United States.

“The bottom line is — for FAR too long … If you’re here for a minute, a day, a month, or a year you’ve been here far too long,” Patel answered.