QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Gunmen stormed the set of a public television channel in Ecuador as it broadcast live and threatened the public as the country reeled from a series of attacks after the government imposed a state of emergency following the apparent escape of a powerful gang leader. from prison.
Masked men entered the set of the TC Television network in the port city of Guayaquil and shouted that they had a bomb. Sounds like gunshots are heard in the background.
Channels are live for at least 15 minutes before the signal is cut off. As the transmission went on, the man could be seen on camera while several workers were lying on the floor and someone could be heard shouting “Don’t shoot!”
Ecuadorian police said on X, previously Twitter, that several units have been deployed to media facilities.
Armed men break into the set of a public television channel in Ecuador. TC TELEVISION/AFP via Getty Images
A few hours earlier, Ecuadorian authorities had confirmed a series of attacks across the country, including explosions and the kidnapping of several police officers.
Police reported four officers were kidnapped on Monday night and remain missing, one in the capital, Quito, and three in the city of Quevedo.
Separately, agents arrested two people for possession of explosives and as suspects in at least one of the attacks in the South American country.
The government did not say how many attacks were registered in total, but local media reported several, including some in the northern city, where vehicles were set on fire, and others in Quito, including an explosion near the home of the president of the National Justice. Court.
The government has imposed a state of emergency following a gang leader who escaped from prison. TC Noticias HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Authorities have not said who is believed to be behind the attack or if the incident was part of a planned act. The government has previously accused members of a major drug cartel of carrying out similar strikes. In recent years, Ecuador has been plagued by a surge in violence linked to drug trafficking, including murders and kidnappings.
Ecuadorian authorities reported on Sunday that Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito” and leader of the Los Choneros gang, was not in his cell at the low-security prison. He was scheduled to be transferred to a maximum security facility later that day.
Its existence is unclear.
Authorities did not say who was behind the attack. via REUTERS
Prosecutors opened an investigation and charged two guards in connection with the alleged escape, but police, the corrections system or the federal government have not confirmed whether Macías escaped from the facility or may have been hiding inside.
In February 2013, he escaped from a maximum security facility but was recaptured a few weeks later.
On Monday, President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency, allowing authorities to suspend rights and deploy the military in places like prisons. The government also imposed a curfew from 11pm to 5am starting Monday night.
Ecuadorian soldiers patrol outside the TV station. AFP via Getty Images
Noboa said in a message on Instagram that he will not stop until he “brings back peace to all Ecuadorians,” and that his government has decided to confront crime.
The state of emergency was widely used by Noboa’s predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, as a way to deal with the wave of violence that has affected the country.
The wave of attacks began a few hours after Noboa’s announcement.
Macías, convicted of drug trafficking, murder and organized crime, is serving a 34-year sentence at La Regional prison in the port of Guayaquil.
The government has imposed a nationwide curfew following the attack. AFP via Getty Images
Los Choneros is one of the Ecuadorian gangs considered responsible for a surge in violence that reached new heights last year with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The group has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, according to authorities.
Experts and authorities have acknowledged that gang members practically rule from inside prisons, and Macías is believed to continue to control his gang from inside a detention facility.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
