GUATEMALA: Female Mara 18 Arrested For Bus Bomb That Killed 7.

CNN/
     A female gang member is under arrest for recently bombing a bus in Guatemala City that killed seven.
     Police say that Mara 18 gang member Sonia Veliz was identified through a composite sketch.
    Witnesses report that a woman boarded the bus, left her bag on the luggage rack, and left before the blast.
     Police believe the attack was requested by the gang leader, who ordered the bombing from prison.

EL SALVADOR: Grenade Blast Kills 1, Injures 17 In San Salvador Video Parlor.

LAHT/ 

    Police report that one was killed and at least 17 others were wounded after a grenade blast at a video-game parlor in downtown San Salvador.
   “Apparently, it has to do with a problem between the (Mara) 18 and the MS (Mara Salvatrucha) gangs,”a spokesman said.
    Gangs are blamed for many rapes, robberies and for  protection rackets that extort “taxes” from bus companies and small businesses.
      Police estimate that some 10,000 gang members operate in El Salvador, most either Mara 18 or Mara Salvatrucha.

HONDURAS: Maras Massacre At Least 14 In San Pedro Sula.

REUTERS/NYT/
    Officials are blaming the Mara 18 gang for the slaying of at least 14 people on a football field in San Pedro Sula in an apparent battle over gang territory.

EL SALVADOR: Gangs Impose A 72-Hour Bus Shut Down After Law Makes Them Illegal.

BLOG/Jenny Hess/ 1st Person Account:
On transport chaos:
"Fear... it is something I hate but also something that I have yet to overcome in many areas. Today I am seeing how fear reigns in El Salvador in so many ways. I have gleaned a few more facts of what has been going on with the gangs and the buses not running (for 72 hours). This week the government issued a new law making it illegal to be a part of a gang. A person can now be arrested just for being a part of a gang, even if they have never committed a known crime. In response to this ruling, the two dominant gangs in El Salvador (the MS and 18 -- who are stark enemies) have come together and announced that they would not permit buses to circulate for 72 hours. They also warned people to stay off of the roads after 6:30PM."
AND: "Hopefully tomorrow the halt on the buses and the curfew threats will be over and the government will have control over the gangs. I am not sure that the solution will be so easy though and so I continue to pray for peace. For many who lived through the war in El Salvador in the 80's, the curfew is bringing flashbacks of life back then."
For BBC NEWS Account: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11253408

EL SALVADOR: Police Arrest Documentary Maker Daniel Poveda's Alleged Killer.

LAHT/    Police in San Salvador have arrested the alleged leader of youth gang accused of murdering photojournalist Christian Poveda last September. Daniel Cabrera Flores, 30, reportedly heads the Mara 18 gang. Poveda, 54, a Franco-Spanish photojournalist, directed the documentary “La Vida Loca” (Crazy Life) about the daily lives of some Mara 18 gang members.