On Tuesday, hooded gunmen stormed the premises of TC Television, a new network headquartered in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and abducted all employees inside the building.
urgent! !
Restricts TC installations and task execution. pic.twitter.com/AVehc0VDk6— Emergencias Ec (@EmergenciasEc) January 9, 2024
The incident marks a new wave of prison riots and nationwide violence that erupted shortly after Jose Adolfo Macias, a gang leader known as Ecuador's “Most Wanted,” apparently disappeared from a Guayaquil prison. It occurred in a wave. Macias was serving a 34-year sentence when he suddenly disappeared on Monday. In response to the violence, Ecuadorian President Daniel Novoa impose A 60-day national state of emergency will be declared on Monday.
Videos published on social media show armed men disrupting a live TC TV broadcast, threatening staff at gunpoint, forcing them to lie on the ground and publicly asking police to leave.
The hooded men displayed what appeared to be makeshift explosives and hand grenades, one of which they placed in the pocket of Jose Luis Calderon, one of the station's newscasters.
Breaking news: Armed group attacks Ecuadorian TV station, takes hostages pic.twitter.com/UYQrYoOBcC
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 9, 2024
Another video shows the channel's staff being forced at gunpoint to demand that President Noboa order the police to withdraw.
SOS
TC TV pic.twitter.com/Ea2ORbRX2b— Emergencias Ec (@EmergenciasEc) January 9, 2024
ecuadorian newspapers El Universo report Dozens of journalists and cameramen appealed for help through chat messages, stressing: “They are trying to kill us all, please help us.”
Shortly after the attack on TC TV, President Noboa announced that he had signed an executive order declaring the situation an “internal armed conflict” and authorizing the Ecuadorian military to carry out military operations against major gangs in the country.
He decided to identify the Armado Interno conflict and international criminal organizations and has no militant status on terrorists and actors who are transnational collective organizations: Aguilas, Aguilas Killers, Ak47, Caballeros Oscuros, Choune Killers… pic.twitter.com/rVfSTFmHlG
— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) January 9, 2024
Similarly, other videos released Tuesday afternoon show gang members attempting to invade the Municipal University of Guayaquil to kidnap students.
urgent! !
University of Guayaquil!Security issues like Persona pic.twitter.com/2wQxpdYCLO— Emergencias Ec (@EmergenciasEc) January 9, 2024
urgent!
Continuing activities at the University of Guayaquil pic.twitter.com/4vlwPkJMpA— Emergencias Ec (@EmergenciasEc) January 9, 2024
urgent!
Determining the educational institution of the University of Quevedo pic.twitter.com/zU4dzKLiPX— Emergencias Ec (@EmergenciasEc) January 9, 2024
Presidential Communications Secretary Roberto Izrieta announced that most of the TC TV staff had been released by local security authorities as of Tuesday evening, and law enforcement was working to protect the lives of the staff remaining inside the studio. He added that he was there.
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— Roberto Izuriet Canova (@RobertoIzurietC) January 9, 2024
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
