Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) El Salvador

Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California. ... The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans (mostly Salvadorans) and active in urban and suburban areas.

Here's what you need to know about the gang whose motto — “rape, control, kill” — has created fear in Washington and nationwide. — Mara Salvatrucha means “Salvadorian gang” and was formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants from war-torn El Salvador