20 members of gang designated by U.S. as foreign terrorist organization escape prison in Guatemala

Twenty members of a gang designated a "foreign terrorist organization" by the United States have escaped from detention in Guatemala , a prison chief said Sunday.

The members of the Barrio 18 gang "evaded security controls" at the Fraijanes II facility, prison director Ludin Godinez said at a news conference.

He received "an intelligence report" Friday warning about the "possible escape" from the prison, which is southeast of the capital Guatemala City.

Godinez said they were investigating possible acts of corruption.

Washington last month blacklisted Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang which has a reputation for violence and extortion, as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking.

The U.S. embassy in Guatemala condemned the prison escape as "utterly unacceptable."

"The Un