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Ecuador declares war on armed gangs after air attack on TV station
After days of violence culminating in an attack on a television studio, Ecuador’s president has directed the “neutralization” of criminal gangs. Masked gunmen forcibly entered the live studio of public television channel TC during a broadcast, resulting in the apprehension of 13 individuals and injuries to two staff members.
The violence escalated following the disappearance of notorious gangster Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as Fito, from a prison cell, prompting a 60-day state of emergency declared on Monday. The attack on the TV studio in Guayaquil occurred amid uncertainty about its connection to Fito’s disappearance.
President Noboa declared an “internal armed conflict” in the country on Tuesday, mobilizing the armed forces for “military operations to neutralize” transnational organized crime, terrorist organizations, and belligerent non-state actors.
Concerned about potential spill-over instability, Peru swiftly deployed a police force to the border. The US condemned the “brazen attacks” in Ecuador, expressing readiness to assist and coordinating closely with President Daniel Noboa and the Ecuadorean government.
Ecuador, a major banana exporter, is facing increased violence linked to conflicts between drug cartels vying for control of cocaine routes to the US and Europe.
In the TV station assault, gunmen threatened captives with firearms, including a pump-action shotgun and a revolver.
A woman could be heard pleading, “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot,” a news agency reports, while a person could be heard screaming in apparent pain.
“Please, they came in to kill us,” a TC employee told the source in a WhatsApp message. “God don’t let this happen. The criminals are on air.”
During the attack, assailants shot one cameraman in the leg, while another suffered a broken arm, as reported by the deputy director of news.
Jorge Rendon explained that producers warned them through earpieces, stating, “Be careful, they are trying to enter, they are stealing, and they are mugging us.” Despite the studio doors being thick and nearly bulletproof, the intruders attempted to gain access, aiming to manipulate the broadcast.
Police, sharing videos of the arrested suspects and their weapons on social media, asserted that the individuals responsible would face punishment for their terrorist acts.
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