Ecuador’s army has been ordered to “neutralise” 20 drug gangs after gunmen stormed the set of a live TV broadcast amid reports of inmates executing prison guards.
The men with faces covered entered the set of the TC Television network in the port city of Guayaquil and shouted that they had “bombs.” Noises similar to gunshots could be heard.
Police entered the studio after about 30 minutes of chaos and with authorities later saying that all 13 of the masked intruders had been arrested and would be charged with terrorism. No one was injured in the attack.
It comes amid by a series of attacks including explosions and the abduction of several police officers after the government imposed a state of emergency in the wake of the apparent escape of a powerful gang leader from prison.
President Daniel Noboa has said an “internal armed conflict” is ongoing, adding that he had ordered the military to carry out “military operations to neutralise” what he described as “transnational organised crime, terrorist organisations and belligerent non-state actors”.
Ecuador’s Police said on X, formerly Twitter, that some units were deployed to the media facilities.
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Hours earlier, Ecuadorian authorities had confirmed a series of attacks around the country, including explosions and the abduction of several police officers.
At least 10 people are reported to have been killed as the nation descended into a violent “civil war”.
Terrifying footage showed three kidnapped police officers sat on the ground at gun point as one of them read a statement.
“You declared war, you will get war,” he read. “You declared a state of emergency. We declare police, civilians and soldiers to be the spoils of war.”
The statement added that anyone found on the street after 11pm would be “executed”.
In recent years, Ecuador has been engulfed by a surge of violence tied to drug trafficking, including homicides and kidnappings.
Ecuadorian authorities reported Sunday that Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito” and the leader of Los Choneros gang, wasn’t in his cell in a low-security prison. He was scheduled to be transferred to a maximum security facility that day.
His whereabouts were unclear.
Prosecutors opened an investigation and charged two guards in connection with the alleged escape, but neither the police, the corrections system, nor the federal government confirmed whether Macías fled the facility or might be hiding in it.
Several attacks were reported by local media, including some in northern cities, where vehicles were set on fire, and others in Quito, including an explosion near the house of the president of the National Justice Court.
Following the TV studio attack, the head of the Armed Forces Joint Command said the attacks were a reaction by the gangs to the government’s moves against them.
“They have unleashed a wave of violence to frighten the population,” Adm. Jaime Vela told journalists, describing the attacks were ‘unprecedented’ in the country’s history.
The government has said at least 30 attacks have been carried out since it was announced that Macías was discovered missing.
Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said the US was “extremely concerned” by the violence and kidnappings, and vowed to provide assistance and “remain in close contact” with the Ecuadorian premier’s team.
