NEW DELHI: Masked men armed with guns and explosives stormed a public television channel in Ecuador during a live broadcast on Tuesday, causing the country’s president to declare an “internal armed conflict.”
The incident took place at the TC Television network in the city of Guayaquil, where the assailants entered the set and allegedly threatened station personnel with bombs.
Shots were heard in the background, but it remains unclear if anyone was injured. Alina Manrique, the head of news for TC Television, recounted her terrifying experience when one of the gunmen pointed a gun at her head and ordered her to get on the floor.
Some of the attackers attempted to hide in the building but were eventually apprehended by the police. Manrique expressed her shock and stated her intention to leave the country.
“I am still in shock” Manrique told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “Everything has collapsed …. All I know is that its time to leave this country and go very far away.”
These events come in the wake of a series of attacks in Ecuador, including the abduction of several police officers, following the escape of a prominent gang leader from prison.
President Daniel Noboa announced a state of emergency and authorized the military to take action against 20 drug trafficking gangs classified as terrorist groups.
Authorities arrested the intruders at the TV station and seized their weapons and explosives. Ecuador’s national police chief, César Zapata, condemned the incident as a terrorist act.
Los Choneros is one of the Ecuadorian gangs that authorities consider responsible for a spike in violence, much of tied to drug trafficking, that reached a new level last year with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The gang has links with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, according to authorities.
(With agency inputs)
The incident took place at the TC Television network in the city of Guayaquil, where the assailants entered the set and allegedly threatened station personnel with bombs.
Shots were heard in the background, but it remains unclear if anyone was injured. Alina Manrique, the head of news for TC Television, recounted her terrifying experience when one of the gunmen pointed a gun at her head and ordered her to get on the floor.
Some of the attackers attempted to hide in the building but were eventually apprehended by the police. Manrique expressed her shock and stated her intention to leave the country.
“I am still in shock” Manrique told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “Everything has collapsed …. All I know is that its time to leave this country and go very far away.”
These events come in the wake of a series of attacks in Ecuador, including the abduction of several police officers, following the escape of a prominent gang leader from prison.
President Daniel Noboa announced a state of emergency and authorized the military to take action against 20 drug trafficking gangs classified as terrorist groups.
Authorities arrested the intruders at the TV station and seized their weapons and explosives. Ecuador’s national police chief, César Zapata, condemned the incident as a terrorist act.
Los Choneros is one of the Ecuadorian gangs that authorities consider responsible for a spike in violence, much of tied to drug trafficking, that reached a new level last year with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The gang has links with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, according to authorities.
(With agency inputs)
