During a live broadcast in Ecuador, a group of masked assailants stormed the studio of TC Television, a major station in Guayaquil. The assailants brandished guns and explosives, taking the TV news crew hostage. As the presenter pleaded for help, the incident unfolded amidst a sudden and brutal wave of violence and kidnappings across the country.
President Daniel Noboa had recently declared a 60-day state of emergency to combat “narcoterrorists.” In response to the situation, the national police released a statement confirming the detention of several assailants.
Footage shared on social media showed the terrified hostages being held captive, with one of them pleading for their lives. Panicked TC TV staffers sent out desperate messages on social media, seeking assistance and hiding as the gangsters rampaged through the building. In an effort to address the emergency, Ecuador’s national police announced the deployment of a special forces unit.
While the situation remained tense, a later statement from presidential spokesman Roberto Izurieta Canova indicated that the majority of the hostages had been rescued.
The South American country has been plunged into chaos as criminal groups have launched coordinated attacks, resulting in kidnapping incidents at various locations including a university, a hospital, prisons, and police stations.
These attacks have involved the use of explosives and the taking of hostages, including prison guards and police officers. A video circulating on social media shows one of the officers reading a message while a gun is pointed at his head, warning of war and declaring the police, civilians, and soldiers as the spoils of war.
President Noboa, who took office in November with a promise to combat violent crime, declared a state of emergency and attributed the violent uprisings to drug-trafficking gangs seeking revenge for his efforts to regain control of the country’s prisons. In response, he announced plans to construct two new maximum-security prisons.
Notably, two notorious criminals, Adolfo Macias and Fabricio Colon, managed to escape during these incidents. In light of the escalating situation, President Noboa declared an internal armed conflict and labeled several gangs as terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors, instructing the military to take action against them.
