Bukele Warns Haitian Gang Leaders His Forces Will 'Finish' Them as in El Salvador, With 2,000 Troops Deployed to Find Four Missing Technicians, Fox News Reports

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has turned his attention to Haiti, Fox News reports, deploying 2,000 troops after four Salvadoran military aviation technicians vanished following an Oct. 18 ambush near Port-au-Prince.

The warning. Bukele wrote on X to Haiti's criminal groups: "We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too." He said the goal is not to invade or occupy Haiti but to recover the four men alive.

The missing men. They were assigned to a medical unit with the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force when their armored vehicle was attacked in Croix-des-Bouquets. Haiti's National Police said Tuesday, more than two weeks later, they had found the charred remains of the vehicle in the Santo neighborhood but no sign of the men. Fox says El Salvador says they were abducted, Haiti's government says they are missing, and one gang leader says they are dead.

The gang leader. Wilson Joseph, known as "Lanmò Sanjou" and the head of the 400 Mawozo gang, told The Associated Press the rival Chen Mechan gang carried out the ambush and that the Salvadorans are dead. He wrote to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres asking for mediation and warned Bukele's threats would lead to "an escalation of violence." Fox notes Joseph was indicted in the U.S. in 2022 over the 2021 kidnapping of 17 missionaries, 16 of them Americans, and a reward of up to $1 million remains for his arrest.

Support and criticism. President Trump, asked at Mar-a-Lago on Halloween, confirmed speaking to Bukele. "He said that he has a big problem with Haiti," Trump said. "They killed some of his people. I said, 'You're running your country. You have to do what you have to do.'" Haitian Prime Minister Didier Fils-Aimé said Tuesday: "The international force is not here to replace the state. They're here to support us." Human-rights advocates and gang leaders warn escalation could worsen civilian suffering. The U.N. says El Salvador's deployment is separate from the Gang Suppression Force and must follow international law. It also says at least 5,700 people have been killed or injured in Haiti's gang violence since Jan. 1.

The model. Fox says El Salvador's 2022 crackdown under a state of emergency led to more than 90,000 arrests of suspected gang members. Supporters credit it with record-low homicide rates. Critics cite abuses, arbitrary detentions and weakened due process. Bukele wrote Tuesday: "We can help you defeat them, but we are not your enemies... Haiti will be free."

What we could not check. We did not see Bukele's posts or the Haitian police statement, and the fate of the four technicians is unconfirmed.