On Sunday afternoon, a group of four heavily armed men released a video threatening Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and Santa Fe Governor Maximiliano Puraro and promising a wave of violence in Buenos Aires.
In the approximately two-minute video, four hooded people, described by the Argentine government as members of a narco-terrorist organization, are shown attacking Mr. Bullrich and Mr. Purallo in response to the government's crackdown on the gang in the Santa Fe city of Rosario. He threatened both of them. throughout the city explained As the most violent in Argentina.
He claimed that the men would be “deployed” in Buenos Aires and begin “leaving the dead here”, stressing that the battle for territory “will never end”. Each of the four men is seen brandishing a weapon used by Argentina. reportedly They were identified as an FMK3 submachine gun, a Glock pistol, a FAL rifle, and a 12-gauge shotgun.
“This video is dedicated to you, Puraro and Bullrich. First of all, please tell people that they have prepared everything to kill innocent people and give more power to your gang.” said one of the four men in the video. “They had innocent people killed. They did everything they could to cover up the gang.”
He continued:
Mafia Governor of Santa Fe, please do something for our children. Don't let them become delinquent. Create a job or school. Stop playing politics with prisoners.
Mrs. Bullrich, old mafia, stop muddying the fields and adding fuel to the fire, we are set here in Buenos Aires. I'm going to start leaving you for dead here. Rosario's prosecutors are the real mafia. We are all bought. We are going to start leaving the dead all over the capital, Buenos Aires and Santa Fe. We try our best in everything we do. This will never end.
Argentina's presidential office announces officials statement Minutes after the video began circulating on social media, its content was described as a “clear terrorist threat” aimed at instilling fear in the public and democratically elected authorities. . The Argentine President's Office expressed its determination to work with law enforcement agencies to combat the threats made in the video.
“From the beginning of our administration, we have been charged with implementing the new security principle of committing crimes and paying time. With this approach, the number of homicides in the city of Rosario has decreased by 80 percent, “This resulted in millions of dollars in losses for drug traffickers who were in control of the city,” the statement said.
“The Office of the President reaffirms its zero-tolerance stance against terrorism and organized crime.” “We will fight to the end to confront terrorism and thereby guarantee the safety of all Argentines.”
An official statement warned the gang: “Make no mistake, it will never be possible to defeat us.” There is no room for armed violence in the new Argentina. If they continue, they will face the full weight of the law. ”
Immediately after the statement was issued, President Javier Millay commented on the issue through a social media post, stressing that “crime never pays and never will in our government.” You can't make money by becoming a criminal. Commit a crime and pay your time. And we have no intention of deviating from that. ”
Security Minister Bullrich told a local news channel. Todo Noticias on Sunday evening, explaining that the video may have been intended as a response to authorities. detained Last month, seven people were charged as members of Rosario's dangerous drug lord Jure clan.
“The attitude in that video, the threats against the public, the way they communicated are a form of narcoterrorism,” Bullrich said. “Recently, the high-risk departments of Ezeiza and Marcos Paz prisons have received very strong threats from the province of Buenos Aires.”
Bullrich said police would begin investigating the suspects and the government would launch a plan to crack down on drug cartels operating in Argentina's major cities.
“This has to do with the pursuit of gangs that carry out illegal break-ins that cause a lot of violent activity, including drug trafficking,” Bullrich said. “We chose some departments in the province of Buenos Aires, the nerve centers of Santa Fe, Córdoba, Tucumán and Mendoza.”
“Ninety percent of murders occur in 10 percent of our territory. We have a plan that will be a very powerful reinforcement to keep all Argentines safe,” she continued. “We are telling them to rest assured that we are determined to fight these gangs.”
Immediately after taking office in December 2023, Mr. Bullrich launched of bandera plan The Flag Plan is a series of security policies aimed at curbing rampant violence in the province of Santa Fe, with a particular focus on the crime-prone city of Rosario. Bullrich and her team also consulted with national authorities. el salvador Throughout the year, they have provided Argentine security officials with technical advice in the fight against violent gangs.
security policy reportedly As a result, the number of homicides from January to August decreased by 65 percent compared to the same period in 2023. August marked the first month since 2013 without a homicide in Rosario, according to a statement released by Bullrich at the time.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
