San SALVADOR: The head of El Salvador’s police force is among nine people who died when the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed in the Central American nation on Sunday evening local time.
Police Director-General Mauricio Arriaza was escorting a suspect in a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme to the capital, San Salvador, when the helicopter came down shortly after take-off.
The suspect, fugitive former bank director Manuel Coto, had been accused of involvement in the embezzlement of $35mn from a credit union in El Salvador. Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele wrote on X that he did not think the crash should be considered an accident and ordered an investigation.
President Bukele said flags would be flown at half-mast for three days in honour of Arriaza. The president had named him as chief of police in 2019 and he was key to Bukele’s crackdown on El Salvador’s infamous gangs. (Agencies)
