( CNN ) -- Two men claiming to be Los Angeles-area gang members have posted a video showing them firing rifles in Syria 's civil war , apparently fighting on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad 's regime . In the profanity-laced video , the two men fire rifles from behind a cinder-block wall at `` enemigos '' -- enemies -- though the camera never shows an enemy in the distance . The two men often refer to `` gang-banging '' and their `` homies , '' and one of them displays gang hand gestures and tattoos . The video was publicized this week by the Middle East Media Research Institute , a Washington-based organization that studies and translates news accounts and social-media postings . `` This is very unique because these guys are over there , and they are with the pro-Syria forces and pro-Hezbollah forces , '' said Steven Stalinksy , executive director of the institute . `` We have been monitoring foreign fighters over the years , and there has been a handful of Americans going to fight , but they have been going to fight against Assad . '' The FBI 's Joint Terrorism Task Forces is investigating the video . `` The JTTF is aware of the video and is investigating to determine any potential threat to Americans or to U.S. interests , '' FBI spokeswoman Ari Dekofsky said in a statement . `` We are not in a position to provide further comment at this time . '' The ties to the al-Assad regime apparently stem from how one of the two gang members identifies himself as `` Wino '' from the Westside Armenian Power gang . Some Armenians side with Assad because he has protected the minority group in Syria . Wino uploaded the video and photographs to his Facebook page , where he is identified as `` Wino Ayee Peeyakan '' and by his real name , Nerses Kilajyan , according to MEMRI . The video was also posted to YouTube . Although media accounts and MEMRI explained that Kilajyan 's Facebook page contained several photos and comments earlier this week , his page was taken down as of Wednesday . MEMRI 's website , however , has reposted Kilajyan 's photographs showing him wearing Hezbollah garb and standing by a purported Hezbollah operative , MEMRI said . The pro-Iran Shiite militant group Hezbollah has fought on the regime 's side of Syria 's three-year civil war . Hezbollah is deemed a terrorist group by the U.S. government . Kilajyan is also photographed standing beside the man who also appears in the Syrian video , MEMRI said . That man in the video calls himself `` Creeper '' and says he 's a member of the Sun Valley GW-13 gang . In the slang of a Latino gang-banger , Creeper often sprinkles his fluent English with Spanish words . `` Judging by the photos , Wino seems to have been fighting in Syria since December 2012 . Comments by Wino 's Facebook friends suggest that the two were deported from the U.S. due to their involvement in criminal activity , '' MEMRI 's website says . In the two videos , the two men appear to be addressing gang members back in the Los Angeles area while they fire their rifles . Creeper : `` We 're in Syria still gang-banging . '' Later he adds : `` Tell the homies : in the ... Middle East , still gang-banging . '' Wino : `` We 're in Syria , homie . We 're in Syria , homie . ... We 're on the ... front line . '' In the video , Creeper cites rappers Mr. Capone-E , Mr. Criminal and Crazy Loco , but those rappers distanced themselves from the video . `` I 've spoken to both Mr. Criminal and Crazy Loco , and none of us have any associations whatsoever with the two men in the video , '' the rapper Mr. Capone-E said in a statement. `` I 've been very blessed to have the most amazing fans from all walks of life and with all kinds of political views . I personally do not condone any type of violence or any type of action that leads to criminality . `` I 'm by no means a political person and will not be speaking on the subject of Syria , on which I 'm wholly uninformed , '' the rapper said . Syria submits revised plan for removing chemicals . CNN 's Linda Hall and Kyung Lah contributed to this report .
One gang member is `` Wino , '' or Nerses Kilajyan , of Westide Armenian Power gang . Another is `` Creeper '' of Sun Valley GW-13 gang , he says in video . The third man was shot and killed by a police officer on the scene after being confronted with his gun during an attempted robbery at a convenience store near where the shooting took place.