大象传媒

MS-13 has been terrorising communities in America since the 1980s, when the gang was formed in Los Angeles in by immigrants who had fled El Salvador's long and brutal civil war. MS stands for Mara Salvatrucha. Mara, means gang in Spanish; Salva for Salvador, and trucha, roughly means 'street smarts.' The 13 represents the position of M in the alphabet.

Police say the gang recently stabbed a man 100 times, beheaded him and cut out his heart in a park near Washington DC in the USA. The 大象传媒's Lucy Ash, who made a documentary on them, explains their story.

(Photo: Alleged members of the MS13 and 18 gang board a police vehicle after being presented to the press in San Salvador on February 26, 2016, Credit: Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images)