A group of heavily armed criminals broke into the main studio of a prominent television network in Ecuador while it was broadcasting live. As a result, the president of the country has announced a state of “internal armed conflict” due to a string of seemingly coordinated assaults happening throughout the region.
At approximately 2pm on Tuesday, Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, was invaded by a group of masked gunmen. However, the police special forces were able to apprehend all of the suspects who had entered the headquarters of the TC Televisión network.
Around 20 men, armed with pistols, shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and dynamite, stormed the El Noticiero studio while the news program was airing. The incident was captured on live camera as some employees took cover on the floor and a voice could be heard yelling “Don’t shoot!” before the broadcast was abruptly ended.
According to El Universo newspaper, reporters and camera operators were in a state of panic as they sent urgent messages for assistance while the criminals caused chaos in the building. One message read, “They are trying to harm all of us. Please help.”
According to Alina Manrique, the news director at TC Television, she was present in the control room, located opposite the studio, when a group of masked individuals barged into the premises. One of the men aimed a firearm at her and instructed her to lie on the ground, as reported by the Associated Press.
Manrique expressed disbelief in a phone conversation, stating that everything has crumbled. He acknowledges that it’s necessary to depart the country and relocate to a distant location.
The police commander, César Zapata, stated afterwards that all of the attackers had been apprehended. He also added, “This incident should be regarded as an act of terrorism.”
The shocking scenes on live television came as criminal groups launched a wave of terror across Ecuador, amid fresh outbreaks of violence in the country’s prisons.
There were unverified accounts of armed individuals entering a college in Guayaquil and stealing in the center of Quito. Additionally, videos on social media appeared to depict the assault of prison guards who were being held captive by inmates.
Following the attack on the television station, President Daniel Noboa issued a decree declaring 20 drug trafficking organizations as terrorist groups and granting authorization for Ecuador’s military to “neutralize” these criminal factions while adhering to international humanitarian laws.
Just one day after being elected in October with a promise to address violent crime, Noboa declared a state of emergency following the escape of the nation’s most dangerous gang leader from prison.
As thousands of soldiers and police searched for Adolfo Macías, alias Fito – the convicted leader of the powerful drug gang Los Choneros – chaos erupted inside and outside jails in an apparent show of force by organised crime gangs.
Noboa, who won the October election with a promise to address violent crime, announced a two-month state of emergency on Monday. He pledged to regain control of the country’s prisons, which have been plagued by deadly conflicts between rival drug gangs resulting in over 420 inmate deaths since 2021.
According to a statement on social media, Noboa stated that these alleged narcoterrorist organizations attempt to intimidate us and think that we will comply with their requests.
However, shortly after, a new series of assaults commenced. Three law enforcement officials were abducted in the southern city of Machala and another officer was taken in the capital, Quito, by criminals.
Several additional prison guards were detained in facilities throughout the nation, increasing the number of those taken into custody on Monday. However, the prison authority in Ecuador has not provided any additional information.
The missing gang boss Macías, 44, vanished from prison on Sunday during a prison transfer to a maximum security facility in Guayaquil, the port city at the centre of Ecuador’s brutal descent into violence which has seen homicide rates shoot up by five times in as many years.
The leader, who had been imprisoned for 34 years since 2011, was found guilty of drug trafficking, murder, and organized crime. Despite being incarcerated, he still held significant influence.
The leader of a dangerous gang, Fabricio Colón, fled from Riobamba prison on Monday night during a disturbance, according to the prison authorities. The prosecutor’s office in Ecuador has connected Colón, who heads the Los Lobos gang, to the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and making threats against the attorney general, Diana Salazar.
Noboa has stated that he will not engage in discussions with individuals referred to as “terrorists.” His administration has attributed the recent conflicts in prisons to their proposal of constructing a new maximum-security facility and relocating incarcerated gang leaders.
The president is also intending to conduct a vote on implementing stricter measures to combat crime. These may include confiscating assets from those suspected of criminal activities and increasing prison sentences.
Source: theguardian.com
