QUITO, ECUADOR (AP) – Armed men invaded Ecuador's public television channel and broadcast live to threaten people as the Ecuadorian government declared a state of emergency and reeled from a series of attacks. It appears that a powerful gang leader has escaped from prison.
Men with their faces covered entered the set of TC Television in the port city of Guayaquil and shouted that they had a bomb. I heard a sound like a gunshot behind me.
The channel continued to broadcast live for at least 15 minutes before the signal was cut off. While the transmission was on, the men could be seen on camera, some employees lying on the floor, and someone could be heard yelling, “Don't shoot!”
Ecuadorian police announced on X (formerly Twitter) that some units have been deployed to media facilities.
Hours earlier, Ecuadorian authorities confirmed a series of attacks across the country, including explosions and the abduction of several police officers.
Police said four police officers were missing after being kidnapped on Monday night, one in the capital Quito and three in the city of Quevedo.
Separately, investigators arrested two people on suspicion of possessing explosives and at least one attack in the South American country.
The government has not said how many attacks were recorded in total, but local media reported several incidents, including one in which a vehicle was set on fire in a northern city and the home of the country's attorney general. It also includes incidents in Quito, including a nearby explosion. court.
Authorities have not said who is believed to be behind the attack or whether the incident is part of an organized action. The government had previously charged members of major drug organizations with similar strikes. In recent years, Ecuador has seen a sharp increase in violent incidents related to drug trafficking, including murders and kidnappings.
Ecuadorian authorities reported Sunday that Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macias, also known as “Fito,” was not in his cell at a low-security prison. He was scheduled to be transferred to a high-security facility that day.
His whereabouts were unknown.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation and charged two guards in connection with the alleged escape, but police, the correctional system and the federal government are wondering if Macias may have escaped from the facility or is hiding inside. Not sure if.
In February 2013, he escaped from the high-security facility, but was arrested again a few weeks later.
President Daniel Novoa on Monday declared a 60-day state of national emergency, allowing authorities to suspend prison and other rights and mobilize the military. The government also imposed a curfew from 11pm to 5am starting Monday night.
In a message on Instagram, Noboa said the government was determined to fight crime, saying it would not stop until “peace is restored to all Ecuadorians.”
The state of emergency was widely used by Novoa's predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, as a way to confront the wave of violence that affected the country.
The series of attacks began hours after Novoa's announcement.
Macias was convicted of drug trafficking, murder and organized crime and was serving a 34-year sentence at La Regional Prison in the port of Guayaquil.
Los Choneros is one of the gangs in Ecuador that authorities believe is responsible for a surge in violence that reached new levels last year with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Authorities say the gang has ties to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel.
Experts and authorities agree that gang members effectively control the prison, and Macias is believed to have continued to control the group from inside the prison.
