Masked gunmen stormed the studios of Ecuador’s TC Television in the city of Guayaquil during a live broadcast on Tuesday. Footage shows the criminals holding the anchor and crew at gunpoint, forcing them to the floor as they begged for mercy.
Ecuador has descended into mob-induced violence following the jailbreak of drug kinging “Fito” and a subsequent state of emergency declaration.
🇪🇨 | URGENTE: Delincuentes irrumpieron en TC Televisión y secuestran a todos en vivo y directo en Guayaquil, Ecuador. pic.twitter.com/ob1yleusOc
— Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundoNews) January 9, 2024
National police units were dispatched to the studio. Police were observed entering the building about 30 minutes after the gunmen. Criminals were seen leaving the studio afterward (it is unclear if they were accompanied by police).
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President Daniel Noboa responded by passing an executive order designating several crime syndicates as “terrorist organizations” and “non-state actors.” He also formally declared that the nation was fighting an internal armed conflict.
The Ecuadorian government had declared a 60-day state of emergency on Monday after Adolfo Macias Villamar (nicknamed “Fito”), a leader of the Los Choneros gang, escaped from his prison cell. Inspired by this, at least seven policemen were then kidnapped by gang members and six prisons descended into riots.
The state of emergency included provisions for military patrols and a national curfew.
Noboa is the son of one of Ecuador’s wealthiest men. He took office in November after running a campaign dedicated to the issue of crime, promising to put an end to the gangs and the drug crisis.
Fito was reportedly tipped off about a plan to relocate him to a less accommodating jail cell within the same compound before he escaped. When the guards showed up to move him, he was no longer in his cell. Two guards suspected of having helped him escape have been detained.
Some 40 other prison inmates along with another convicted drug lord escaped from prison in Riobamba, Ecuador early on Tuesday.
Authorities were not immediately able to determine whether there was a link between the prison escapes and the hostage situation at the television station.
Video footage purportedly showing Ecuadorian gang members rounding up prison guards and executing them surfaced afterward. It is not yet substantiated if this clip is authentic.
*Warning: the following footage is disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.*
#Urgente Reclusos comienzan a asesinar a guías penitenciarios pic.twitter.com/NdMsTihK3I
— Ecuadorplay (@EcuadorPlay) January 9, 2024
Likewise, footage surfaced of chaos erupting at the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador. In not-yet substantiated claims, users reported that gang members attempted to kidnap students as part of their protest of the state of emergency declaration.
JUST IN: Ecuador is in total chaos as armed gangs have reportedly stormed University of Guayaquil, attempting to kidnap students.
The incident comes as a television station crew was taken hostage on live air.
The chaos is in response to President Daniel Noboa's decision to call… pic.twitter.com/49NwjeC2u2
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 9, 2024
Ecuadorian police arrested two individuals for possession of explosives and linked them to several reported attacks in the country. Cities in north Ecuador have seen vehicles set on fire, and in the city of Quito, an explosion occurred near the home of the president of the National Justice Court.
The country has been embroiled in violence over the last several years as gangs empowered by the drug trade. They have seized the banana industry, the country’s number one export, to ship cocaine, and have plunged the port city of Guayaquil into murder and kidnapping.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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