El Salvador begins transfers to 'mega prison' amid gang crackdown

FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador in a handout distributed to Reuters on February 1, 2023. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via REUTERS

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador's government moved thousands of suspected gang members to a newly opened "mega prison" on Friday, the latest step in a controversial crackdown on crime that has caused the Central American nation's prison population to soar.

"This will be their new home, where they won't be able to do any more harm to the population," President Nayib Bukele wrote on Twitter.