El Salvador's police chief dies in helicopter crash during anti-gang raid:

Police director and leader of the “war” against gangs, Commissioner Mauricio Arriaza, and his companions died on Sunday when the military helicopter they were traveling in “crashed” in northeastern El Salvador, the military reported on Monday. “We regret to confirm the death of all the people traveling in the Salvadoran Air Force UH-1H helicopter that crashed in Pasaquina, La Unión, about 180 km northeast of San Salvador,” the armed forces said on the social media platform X.

They added that “the plane was carrying Manuel Coto, former manager of Cosavi (savings cooperative), in police custody; as well as the director of @PNCSV, Commissioner General Mauricio Arriaza Chicas.” Authorities have not yet identified the plane's crew or the rest of the personnel accompanying Commissioner Arriaza.

“Our tactical response team, together with other institutions of the National System, is heading to the site of the helicopter crash in the Pasaquina district, in the north of La Unión, to provide the necessary assistance,” Civil Protection reported on X. Coto, who was on the run and arrested in Honduras, was accused of serving as the alleged mastermind of an embezzlement of around 35 million dollars during his time as head of the Santa Victoria Savings and Credit Cooperative (Cosavi).

After the accident, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced that he would call for an international investigation. “What happened cannot simply be considered an 'accident'; it must be investigated thoroughly and with all possible consequences. We will ask for international help,” the president posted on X.

Confirming the police chief's death, Bukele stated: “Director Arriaza Chicas was a key figure in establishing peace and security for our people.” Since March 2022, when Bukele declared “war” on violent gangs, Arriaza has led the campaign that led to the arrest of nearly 82,000 suspected gang members under a state of emergency that allows detentions without a court order.

“He was not just any police director; he was the director of the Territorial Control Plan, the emergency regime and the war against the gangs,” Bukele stressed. For the president, Arriaza was “an incorruptible man who fought against everything, even when nobody believed we could win against the gangs, and we did.”

“We will investigate this to the end, but no one can bring back our national hero. May God receive you, @Director_PNC. See you soon, my friend,” Bukele declared. Honduran Security Minister Gustavo Sánchez revealed that Coto was arrested while “traveling with a human trafficker towards the United States and was arrested by the Honduran police in Choluteca,” in the south of the country, he explained on X.