security crisis in the Central American country. Local authorities on October 12 announced that 20 members of the Barrio 18 gang had broken out of the Fraijanes II prison near Guatemala City, but did not specify when the escape happened.  Only four of the fugitives have been recaptured so far. Guatemala has now followed Washington's lead by classifying Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang with a reputation for violence and extortion, as a "terrorist" organization. In September, the US government blacklisted Barrio 18 as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking. The US Embassy criticized the escape as "utterly unacceptable." It called on the Guatemalan government to "act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists." After the jailbreak, President Bernardo Arevalo dismissed his Interior Minister, Francisco Jimenez. He replaced him with Marco Antonio Villeda, who requested the FBI's assistance in tracking down the escapees. (Bssnews)