Intruders, concealed gunmen, forcibly entered a live broadcast studio situated in Ecuador, instilling fear among the staff present.
Inhabitants of the studio were coerced onto the floor during the transmission aired by the public television channel TC in the urban center of Guayaquil, the live stream abruptly terminating.
Law enforcement later intervened, liberating all the personnel and apprehending 13 individuals, showcasing the arsenal seized.
Since the initiation of a 60-day state of emergency in Ecuador on Monday, at least ten fatalities have been recorded.
This declaration ensued following the mysterious disappearance of a notorious criminal figure from his incarceration. Whether the incident at the TV studio in Guayaquil is connected to the vanishing act of the Choneros gang’s leader, Adolfo Macías Villamar, colloquially known as Fito, remains uncertain.
Across the border in Peru, the government swiftly dispatched a police force to the boundary to avert any potential spillover of unrest.
The United States has expressed condemnation for the audacious assaults in Ecuador, asserting close coordination with President Daniel Noboa and the Ecuadorean government, pledging readiness to provide assistance.
Ecuador holds a significant position as a top global exporter of bananas, alongside exporting commodities like oil, coffee, cocoa, shrimps, and fish products. The surge in violence within and beyond its penitentiaries has been linked to clashes between foreign and local drug cartels vying for control over cocaine routes to the United States and Europe.
Tuesday’s raid on the TV station witnessed one assailant brandishing a pump-action shotgun, menacingly targeting the head of a captive who, concurrently, faced threats from a revolver.
Police conducted an operation at the TC Live Broadcast elevision station headquarters in Guayaquil, where hooded, armed assailants entered, subduing the staff during a live broadcast on January 9, 2024.
Individuals accused of seizing control of the TC Live Broadcast television station with weapons, compelling the staff to assume prone positions, were depicted in police images, handcuffed on the floor.
Amidst the chaos, a woman implored, “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot,” as reported by the AFP news agency. Another voice, seemingly in distress, resonated with screams.
A TC employee conveyed via WhatsApp, “Please, they came in to kill us. God, don’t let this happen. The criminals are on air.”
Sharing footage of the detained suspects on social media, the police affirmed that the wrongdoers would face retribution for engaging in terrorist acts.
President Noboa declared the existence of an “internal armed conflict” in the country, mobilizing the armed forces for “military operations to neutralize” transnational organized crime, terrorist organizations, and belligerent non-state actors.
This decision was prompted by a series of recent penitentiary upheavals, prison escapes, and other violent acts attributed to criminal factions.
The presidential decree identified the Choneros, along with 21 other gangs, such as Aguilas, AguilasKiller, AK-47, Caballeros Oscuros, ChoneKiller, Covicheros, Cuartel de las Feas, Cubanos, Fatales, Ganster, Kater Piler, Lagartos, Latin Kings, Lobos, Los p.27, Los Tiburones, Mafia 18, Mafia Trebol, Patrones, R7, and Tiguerones.
Building upon the state of emergency announced on Monday, which imposes a nightly curfew to quell the violence post-Fito’s escape, security forces strive to restore order in at least six correctional facilities that witnessed disturbances on Monday.
Eight casualties and three injuries were reported in Guayaquil on Tuesday, connected to attacks linked to criminal organizations. Meanwhile, two police officers fell victim to “armed criminals” in the nearby town of Nobol, as per police statements.
In Riobamba, nearly 40 inmates, including another convicted drug lord, escaped from a prison.
A video circulating on social media displayed at least seven kidnapped police officers, three of them seated on the ground with a gun aimed at them, one forced to read a statement addressed to President Noboa. The ominous declaration conveyed, “You declared war; you will get war.”
In response to security concerns, the police ordered the evacuation of the government compound in Quito.
Residents in Quito attested to the city’s state of chaos since news broke about the TV Live Broadcast station attack in Guayaquil. Witnesses described heightened tension, early departures from workplaces, increased traffic, and a prevalence of alarms.
Cuenca residents expressed shock at witnessing the takeover of the TV Live Broadcas station, questioning the security situation in Ecuador. Francisco Rosas remarked, “In Ecuador, we have never seen this kind of thing, where a channel has been practically hijacked and a broadcast starts with shootings, with kidnappings.” He pondered on the implications for establishments like restaurants or shops.
Military personnel guarded a metro station in Quito on January 9, 2024, as President Noboa’s decree enforced a 60-day state of emergency and curfew.
In recent years, Ecuador’s penitentiaries have been plagued by violent conflicts between incarcerated members of rival gangs, leading to multiple inmate massacres.
The Choneros, a formidable prison gang, is believed to be the instigator of numerous deadly riots and prison brawls that have erupted in Ecuador’s correctional facilities.
Fito’s escape dealt a significant blow to President Noboa’s administration, tarnishing the aftermath of an election marred by the assassination of presidential candidate and journalist Fernando Villavicencio, who had received death threats from Fito just days before his fatal shooting after a campaign rally in Quito.
