More than 20 gunmen broke into Ecuador's TC television broadcast on Tuesday evening and pointed guns and pistols at presenters and studio staff. At the same time, there is a coordinated wave of attacks by local gangs across the country. The background is the new president's declaration of a state of emergency in the country.
Military forces on the streets of the capital Quito in response to the gang attack, Photo: AFP
Many employees flooded WhatsApp groups with calls for help. "Help, they want to kill us all," they wrote, as gunmen take over the gorge building in Guayaquil. The police sent special forces to free the channel's employees, but the takeover appears to be part of a coordinated wave of attacks by local gangs.
The wave began hours after the new president, Daniel Novoa, declared a state of emergency following the prison escape of one of the gang leaders. In response, the criminal organizations launched a campaign to attack police stations, kidnapping officers and detonating IEDs. At the same time, prisoners in state prisons overpowered guards.
Ecuador has long faced the threat of gangs, and the issue was at the center of the country's elections, during which one presidential candidate was murdered for fighting the phenomenon. For example, last year about 4,500 murders were recorded in the country and about 210 tons of drugs were seized in its ports.
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