Colombian authorities are set to decide this Wednesday whether eight alleged members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization will remain in prison while they face trial for the murder of university professor Kevin Santiago Ángel. The killing took place on the night of May 20 in Bogotá, Colombia’s capital.
According to an investigation by El Tiempo’s investigative unit, prosecutors have gathered substantial evidence showing that Ángel was deceived into traveling to an apartment in southwestern Bogotá, where he was later tortured and killed. Central to the scheme, investigators say, was a woman using the alias “Alondra,” who exchanged messages with the professor and functioned as bait to draw him into the trap. Once he arrived, two men are accused of carrying out the killing.
Tren de Aragua is a transnational criminal network that originated in Venezuela and has expanded its operations across several Latin American countries in recent years, becoming known for extortion, human trafficking, and violent contract killings. Colombian authorities have increasingly linked the group to violent crimes in Bogotá and other major cities.
The case has drawn significant attention in Colombia, both for the brutality of the crime and for what it reveals about how such organized networks operate, using digital communication and decoys to lure victims before carrying out targeted killings.
For the full story and additional details, read the original report at El Tiempo.
Source: Últimos chats que salieron del celular de Kevin Ángel antes de que el 'Tren de Aragua' ejecutara su crimen (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Emily <3 / Alex from United States.