Could al Qaeda operatives be trying to tap the resources of Central American gangs in the Washington area? The W.Times says there is evidence indicating that is the case. Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, an al Qaeda operative wanted by U.S. authorities, was spotted in Honduras in July meeting with high-ranking members of the violent Mara Salvatrucha gang, which has ties to the Washington area.

More than 3,000 Mara Salvatrucha gang members are thought to be in the Washington area, with a major operation in Northern Virginia. Other gang centers, authorities said, include Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the Hispanic neighborhoods of Washington.

But don’t forget that while members of Mara Salvatruchas can be wild and very violent (slicing off the hand of a teenager with a machete), their overseers in Los Angeles have been complaining that members in Northern Virginia aren’t disciplined.

(Photo of heavily tattooed Mara Salvatrucha member from Mexico’s Vanguardia.)