Moderate earthquake rocks Nicaragua
A moderate earthquake shook the Pacific coast of Nicaragua early Friday, cracking a few walls and sending frightened residents running into the streets, but there were no reports of injuries.

The U.S. National Earthquake Information Center calculated the quake's magnitude as 5.3. It struck at 2:01 a.m. and was centered about 40 miles west of Managua, near Puerto Sandino.

It sent people fleeing from their beds into the streets in several towns and cracked the walls of some houses in Leon and Chinandega.

Nicaragua's National Seismological Network said an earlier quake, measured at magnitude 5.1, hit at 6:25 p.m. Thursday about 90 miles northeast of Managua near the Cosiguina Volcano.

A magnitude 5 quake can cause considerable damage.
 

Nicaragua confirms Al Qaeda operations in Central America
 International terror group Al Qaeda had operations recently in Central America, but does not pose an immediate threat to the region, Nicaragua's army commander Javier Carrion said Thursday.

Carrion said there is nothing to concern now although the state of alert is being maintained in the region.

Nicaraguan Police Commander Edwin Cordero said his country is investigating suspicious persons who could have ties with terrorist organizations.

"We're in alert, but this does not mean there is a mass presence of police agents in cities or key places. Our alert is about intelligence work," Cordero said.

He added that the police have no information on the existence of ties between gangs and terror groups.

Leaders of Central American countries held a meeting in El Salvador on Wednesday night over the presence of Al Qaeda members in the region. The Al Qaeda operatives could have met with members of a transnational criminal gang known as Mara Salvatrucha.

The Washington Post also reported that Al Qaeda would seek support from Central American gangs to infiltrate into the United States through Mexico.