In Ecuador, armed and masked men stormed the state television station during a live broadcast. They took several employees hostage (see video above). A day earlier, a state of emergency was declared in the country after a drug lord escaped from prison.
“Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot,” a woman shouted as shots rang out as men armed with guns and grenades beat people in the TV studio and forced them to the ground.
The police quickly arrived on the scene
The live broadcast was not interrupted even though the lights on the set went out. Police arrived about 30 minutes after the gunmen showed up. “Police, police,” a man in uniform shouted. “We have an injured colleague,” said one man.
‘They came to kill us. God, don’t let this happen. The criminals are on the air,” one of the journalists said in a WhatsApp message to the AFP news agency.
Police said units in the capital Quito and in Guayaquil, where the broadcaster is based, had been notified of the “criminal act” and had already arrived on the scene. Special police units regained control of the television station and arrested numerous suspects. Influential gang leader José Adolfo Macías alias ‘Fito’ escaped from the maximum security prison in the port city of Guayaquil on Sunday. Armed men also stormed the university there. The men are said to be members of a drug gang.
60 days of emergency
A national state of emergency was declared in Ecuador following the prison escape of the infamous drug lord. Over the next 60 days, the military will be deployed in the country’s prisons and streets, and there will also be a nighttime curfew between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. After the announcement, at least four police officers were kidnapped.
“Destroy terrorist gangs”
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said he wanted to use the state of emergency to ensure the armed forces received “full political and legal support” in the fight against drug-related crime. The head of state declared the clashes between criminal gangs and security forces as an internal armed conflict. The armed forces would be ordered to carry out operations against about 20 criminal organizations, according to a decree published on Tuesday. The gangs are terrorist organizations and non-state warring factions that must be destroyed, the report said.
Noboa was elected in October having pledged to combat drug-related crime and violence in the South American country, which in recent years has become a major transit point for cocaine trafficking with the United States and Europe.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
