There are moments in our national conversation when the veil gets pulled back, and we are forced to confront realities that make us deeply uncomfortable. Thursday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington was one of those moments.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele stood before an assembly of lawmakers and business leaders at the U.S. Capitol and delivered a warning that should send a chill down the spine of every American. The gangs that have terrorized his nation, he explained, are not merely criminals engaged in murder, rape, and extortion. They are something darker, something that speaks to a spiritual dimension of evil that many in polite society prefer to dismiss or ignore.
“Many people don’t know that our enemy was not just the flesh and blood, but spiritual as well,” Bukele told the gathering. “The gangs didn’t just murder, rape, extort. They also worship Satan.”
This is not hyperbole or political theater. According to the Salvadoran president, when security forces raided the homes of gang members, they discovered altars used for satanic rituals. The evidence has been photographed and videotaped. It has been documented and preserved. Yet somehow, the global media found this dimension of the story unworthy of coverage.
“It’s straight up. Literally,” Bukele continued. “When we went to their homes to arrest them, we discovered altars that were used for satanic rituals. This is well documented. We put up the pictures, the videos right away. But for some reason, the global mainstream media didn’t think it was worth it to cover it.”
The silence from major media outlets on this aspect of gang activity raises uncomfortable questions about what stories get told and which ones get buried. When evidence points to a spiritual component of organized criminal violence, does it get dismissed as too controversial, too religious, or simply too disturbing for modern sensibilities?
Bukele has been forthright about the connection between MS-13 gang members and satanic practices. His security forces have uncovered ritual materials during multiple raids. This is not speculation. It is documented fact.
But here is where the story becomes directly relevant to American security. Bukele delivered a stark warning to those assembled: “Some of those gangs are here in the United States.”
This statement deserves serious consideration. If gang members with documented ties to satanic practices have crossed into American territory, our law enforcement and intelligence communities need to understand the full scope of what they are dealing with. This is not simply about stopping drug trafficking or preventing violent crime. It is about confronting an ideology of evil that motivates and sustains these criminal organizations.
President Bukele has emerged as a strong ally of the current administration, and his success in reducing gang violence in El Salvador has been remarkable. His willingness to speak plainly about the spiritual dimensions of the fight against organized crime sets him apart from many world leaders who would rather keep such discussions confined to private conversations.
The American people deserve transparency about the nature of the threats we face. When a foreign leader presents documented evidence of satanic practices among gang members who have entered our country, that information should not be swept under the rug or dismissed as sensationalism. It should be investigated, reported, and taken seriously by those charged with protecting our citizens.
The truth, as they say, will set you free. But first, it might make you deeply uncomfortable.
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