Guatemalan prison hostages freed, president declares state of siege

Guatemalan security forces regain control of prisons, subdue gang leader El Lobo

Inmates gather at a security tower at the Renovacion 1 prison, as inmates at three Guatemalan prisons rioted on Saturday and took mostly prison guards hostage, authorities said, in Escuintla, Guatemala, Jan 17, 2026. REUTERS

Guatemala's president declared a state of siege on Sunday after security forces freed dozens of prison guards held hostage by inmates, ending a weekend of gang violence that left at least seven police officers dead and another 10 injured.

Rioting inmates had taken 46 hostages at three men's prisons early on Saturday. The government blamed the riots on the Barrio 18 gang, which it said was pushing for greater privileges for its members in prison.

Gang-led violence targeted police in several areas around Guatemala City after security forces regained control of the prison where Barrio 18's leader, Aldo Duppie, was held. The gang leader, known as El Lobo, was taken back into custody.

President Bernardo Arevalo declared a 30-day state of siege that he said would allow the full force of the state, including the police and the army, to combat gang violence.

Under Guatemalan law, a state of siege can temporarily limit or suspend civil liberties and expand security forces' powers in response to threats to public order.

Images provided by the police showed officers on Sunday morning escorting Barrio 18's leader, who appeared to have a bloody shoulder, out of a prison that had been taken over by inmates.

Shortly afterward, simultaneous attacks against police officers broke out in and around the capital, in what Arevalo said was gang retaliation for taking back the prisons. One gang member was also killed in the violence.

"These murders were carried out with the intention of terrorizing the security forces and the population so that we give up in the fight against gangs and their regime of terror. But they will fail," Arevalo said.

Arevalo, who also declared three days of national mourning, said the state of siege should not alter normal life for Guatemalans.

Earlier on Sunday, National Civil Police director David Boteo had advised Guatemalans to stay at home, and the US Embassy in Guatemala issued a security warning for US citizens. Guatemala's education minister canceled school classes across the country on Monday, which Arevalo said was a preventive measure.

Guatemala's Congress declared Barrio 18 a terrorist group in October 2025, shortly after US President Donald Trump's administration classified the gang as a foreign terrorist organisation.

El Lobo is currently serving prison sentences totaling some 2,000 years. He is married to the niece of Sandra Torres, Guatemala's former first lady who has been the runner-up in three presidential elections, most recently finishing second to Arevalo in 2023.