By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, March 11, 2026

A suspected MS-13 gang member wanted for the murder of a pastor in El Salvador was arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut, on Tuesday and is now set for deportation to the Central American country to answer to the charge there, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

The suspect, Danny Antonio Granados-Garcia, was arrested with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Legal Attaché office located within the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador called FBI LEGAT San Salvador.

Granados-Garcia, who is a national of El Salvador, “was identified as a fugitive with an active El Salvadorian arrest warrant and @Interpol_HQ Blue Notice for aggravated homicide,” FBI New Haven said in a statement. He was wanted for the murder of a pastor, who was a relative of an El Salvadorian police officer.

The suspected murderer has since been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “to facilitate his return to El Salvador to be held accountable for his crimes,” the statement noted.

“MS-13 members are notorious for their brutality, violence, and intimidation,” said P.J. O'Brien, FBI New Haven Special Agent in Charge. “No matter how committed they are to creating chaos in our communities, the FBI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursue members and associates of MS-13 and obtain justice for the victims of their crimes.

MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is an international criminal gang formed in Los Angeles, California, during the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants to protect themselves from other gangs, according to the Department of Justice. Since then, the gang has evolved into a transnational organization known for extreme violence, including murder, drug trafficking and extortion. The gang has a strong presence in the U.S. and Central America.

While the El Salvador Constitution is supposed to guarantee religious freedom in that country, that right has faced threats from both the government and gangs like MS-13, the Berkley Center explains.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has worked to diminish the control gangs exercised over religious freedom in recent years. El Salvador experienced the sharpest increase in social hostilities against religious groups in Latin America in 2018, according to the Pew Research Center.

“This included the murder of a priest on his way to Mass during holy week and the murder of an evangelical pastor for reportedly persuading six members to leave the gang and join his church,” the Berkley Center reported. “Further, gangs also extorted money from some congregations in exchange for letting them operate, and made others divert donations to gang members’ families.”

At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., last month, Bukele warned attendees that violent gang members in his country are known to worship Satan.

"Many people don't know that our enemy was not just the flesh and blood, but spiritual as well. The gangs didn't just murder, rape, extort. They also worship Satan," Bukele said. "It's straight up. Literally. When we went to their homes to arrest them, we discovered altars that were used for satanic rituals."

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/suspected-ms-13-gang-member-wanted-for-pastors-murder-arrested.html