"At least 46 people were taken hostage on Saturday after inmates linked to the Barrio 18 gang seized partial control of three penitentiary centres in Guatemala in a coordinated riot aimed at securing privileges for their imprisoned leader. Officials said the unrest began in the morning and involved simultaneous takeovers at facilities in Escuintla and Guatemala City. At the Renovacion I prison, nine prison guards were held hostage. At Fraijanes II prison, 28 guards were detained, while at the Centro Preventivo Zone 18, nine people remain captive, including eight prison officers and a psychologist. Authorities said the riot was carried out by inmates affiliated with Barrio 18, who are demanding the transfer of their leader Aldo Dupuy Ochoa, known as 'El Lobo', to another prison. “There is no negotiation with terrorists. Terrorists do not have the right to direct the State's agenda regarding penitentiary centers,” said Guatemala’s Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda. He attributed the coordinated riot to tighter controls inside the prison system and warned that force would be used if required. “If it is necessary to use state force to regain control of these preventive and sentence-serving centres, we will do it,” he said, adding that inmates would be held responsible “for the lives of the guards they have taken hostage.” Authorities said the action appeared to be retaliation against government efforts to dismantle extortion networks operating inside penitentiary centres. As of the time of publication, no deaths or serious injuries had been reported. The Guatemalan Army and National Civil Police have surrounded the affected facilities, with ambulances and firefighters positioned nearby as the situation continues."