16 of 19 kidnapping suspects detained in Aurora are suspected TdA Venezuelan gang members

Sixteen of the 19 suspects detained by Aurora police on Tuesday have been confirmed to be suspected members of a criminal gang from Venezuela. Investigators with ICE told CBS News Colorado that all but three of the suspects detained in the alleged kidnapping and burglary at The Edge at Lowry apartments are suspected members or associates of the Venezuelan gang Tren De Argua.

ICE confirmed that the suspects "will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings or hearings before an immigration judge." All of those detained are Venezuelan nationals in the U.S. without authorization. 

Police were called to the apartment complex just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, on a report of an armed home invasion involving a stabbing and kidnapping at an apartment in the 1200 block of Dallas Street. Two victims told police they were taken from their apartment to another unit in the same complex, bound and assaulted while other suspects burglarized their residence. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive. 

Police took 19 people into custody. Besides the suspected gang affiliation, the names of the suspects have not been released. In a news conference on Tuesday morning, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said the suspects are mostly male with possibly a few females. The three suspects not suspected to be members of the gang remain in Aurora police custody. 

This is the same apartment complex at the center of a viral video that showed suspects terrorizing residents in September. President-elect Trump announced "Operation Aurora" after the video showing men with guns at the apartment building went viral.