MANASSAS, Virginia — Top Department of Justice officials revealed Thursday they arrested the alleged East Coast leader of the MS-13 gang, a transnational criminal group notorious for engaging in violence and drug trafficking.

“Early this morning, one of the top leaders of MS-13 was apprehended,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the FBI field office in Manassas. “Right here in Virginia, living half an hour outside of Washington, D.C. He is an illegal alien from El Salvador, and he will not be living in our country much longer.”