Armed militia stormed a television set in Ecuador with shotguns, pistols and improvised explosive devices after Ecuador’s president ordered 22 gangs to be designated as terrorist organizations.
Station TC’s broadcasts in the city of Guayaquil were immediately halted on Tuesday after gunmen forced the crew to lie on the ground, with footage reaching thousands of homes.
When the channel resumed broadcasting that evening, it was reported in the news that two employees were injured in the incident.
The horrified host was seen praying in front of the camera as a shotgun was held to his head while other attackers showed viewers grenades and sticks of dynamite.
The group shouted that they had bombs while gunshots could be heard in the background.
According to the newspaper ‘El Universo’, journalists from the El Noticero news program sent a message of support to various groups. One of them read: ‘They want to kill many of us. Help us.’
The channel broadcast live for at least 15 minutes before the signal was cut off. During the transmission, someone was heard shouting ‘Don’t shoot!’
TC Television news head Alina Munrique said she was in the control room in front of the studio when a group of masked men entered the building. One of them pointed a gun at his head and told him to sit on the floor.
In a phone interview, Manrique said: ‘I’m still in shock. Everything is destroyed. All I know is that it’s time to leave this country and go far away.’
He said that when the attackers realized that they were surrounded by the police, some of them fled the studio and tried to hide elsewhere in the building.
Half an hour after the gang stormed the set, police entered the building and later announced that several arrests had been made. Police in Guayaquil later confirmed 13 arrests and police social media posts showed photos of the youths, showing them lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.
Ecuadorian police said on social media website X that they were able to free the hostages. Local media also reported that armed groups also entered the Maldonado Hospital and Guayaquil University.
The incident followed the kidnapping of at least seven police officers and multiple explosions, a day before President Daniel Nubua declared a state of emergency.
Nobua imposed a 60-day state of emergency on Monday after a convicted gang leader disappeared from his prison cell, giving authorities the power to suspend prison terms and mobilize the military. .
Seven police officers were kidnapped in three separate incidents in the southern cities of Machala, Quito and Los Rios. Police said three officials arrested in Machala were later released and 10 were arrested.
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Explosions were reported in Esmeraldas and Los Rios, while the attorney general’s office said it was investigating an incident in Guayaquil. However, no one has yet claimed responsibility for these blasts.
The crisis arose when the leader of the Los Choneros gang, Adolfo Mesias, known as ‘Feto’, disappeared from his cell and authorities were unable to find him or explain his disappearance.
Ecuador’s prosecutor’s office tweeted on Monday that they had filed charges against two prison guards as part of an investigation into the case, which they are treating as a ‘prisoner escape’.
Los Choneros is one of the groups in Ecuador that authorities blame for a surge in violence over the years, which reached a new level after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last year. According to authorities, the gang has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
Fernando Villavicencio said he was threatened by a criminal gang led by Feto, but so far authorities have not directly charged Adolfo Mesias or his group with Villavicencio’s murder.
Los Choneros and other similar groups linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels are fighting for control of drug-trafficking routes and territory, including detention centers, where at least 400 have been detained since 2021, according to officials. The prisoners have been killed.
Experts have acknowledged that gang members virtually rule from inside prisons, and Adolfo Macias is believed to have controlled his group from inside a detention center.
President Nobua, who made his fortune from the nail business, took office in November saying his government’s main goal was to reduce violence.
His administration said the violence was a response to the president’s plan to build a new high-security prison and relocate jailed gang leaders.
The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Jaime Vella, said after a security meeting with the president: ‘Today’s events demonstrate that the actions and decisions of the national government are adversely affecting criminal structures and, in response, But they have created a wave of violence to scare people.’
The US on Tuesday condemned the ‘horrendous attacks’, saying Washington was in touch with President Nobua and was ready to help. Among neighboring countries, Brazil, Colombia and Chile have also supported Ecuador’s government.
Ecuador’s internal crisis has forced the Peruvian government to declare a state of emergency in the north along its border with Ecuador.
While the Chinese Embassy and Consul General in Ecuador have announced a temporary closure from January 10 until further notice.
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2024-09-16 12:13:50