In a tragic incident that has sent shockwaves through El Salvador, the country’s police chief, Mauricio Arriaza, is among nine people who perished in a helicopter crash on Sunday evening. The helicopter, a UH-1H military aircraft, went down near Pasaquina, close to the Honduran border, shortly after take-off.
At the time of the crash, Police Director-General Arriaza was escorting Manuel Coto, a fugitive former bank director, to the capital, San Salvador. Coto, a key suspect in a high-profile multi-million-dollar embezzlement case, had been accused of siphoning off $35 million from the COSAVI credit union.
Local media reports indicate that a TV news crew was also on board, covering the transfer of Coto following his arrest by Honduran police. Honduran authorities had apprehended Coto as he attempted to flee to the United States with the help of a people-smuggler. His arrest had come as a surprise, as Salvadorean authorities previously announced his detention in Panama in July, raising questions about how he resurfaced in Honduras.
Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele, who had appointed Arriaza as chief of police in 2019, expressed his deep sorrow over the crash. In a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), President Bukele hinted that the crash may not have been an accident and called for a thorough investigation. He pledged to seek international assistance to determine the exact cause of the tragedy.
Arriaza was a crucial figure in Bukele’s tough anti-gang initiatives, which saw El Salvador’s once-alarming homicide rates plummet. Despite the success in reducing violence, the president’s security crackdown has faced criticism from human rights organisations, with allegations of arbitrary detentions and limited access to fair trials.
President Bukele praised the late police chief as “a fundamental part of bringing peace and security to our people.” In honor of Arriaza, he declared three days of national mourning, during which flags would be flown at half-mast.
The crash marks a devastating loss for El Salvador’s law enforcement, as Arriaza had been central to restoring public safety in a country once plagued by rampant gang violence. The death of Manuel Coto adds a dramatic twist to the high-stakes investigation into the embezzlement scheme, which had already seen 15 individuals, including Coto’s parents, arrested in connection to the case.
As the nation grieves the loss of a key figure in its battle against crime, many will look to the investigation for answers into what truly caused this tragic incident.
Melissa Enoch
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