QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Gunmen broke into the set of a public television station in Ecuador while it was broadcasting a live broadcast and threatened people.
The men, their faces covered, entered the set of TC Television in the port city of Guayaquil and shouted that they had “bombs.” There were gunshot-like noises.
Ecuador has been rocked by a series of attacks, including explosions and the kidnapping of several police officers, after the government declared a state of emergency following the apparent escape from prison of a powerful gang leader.
This is a recent update. AP's earlier story is below:
Ecuador was rocked by a series of attacks on Tuesday, including explosions and the kidnapping of several police officers, after the government declared a state of emergency following the apparent escape from prison of a powerful gang leader.
According to police, four officers were kidnapped and remained missing on Monday evening, one in the capital Quito and three in the city of Quevedo.
Separately, agents arrested two people on charges of possession of explosives and as suspects in at least one of the attacks in the South American country.
The government has not said how many total attacks were recorded, but local media reported several, including some in northern cities where vehicles were set on fire, and others in Quito, including an explosion near the home of the Nationalist president Justice court.
Authorities have not said who is believed to be behind the attacks or whether the incidents are part of an orchestrated operation. The government has previously blamed members of major drug gangs for similar attacks. In recent years, Ecuador has been hit by a wave of drug-trafficking-related violence, including murders and kidnappings.
Ecuadorian authorities reported Sunday that Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito” and leader of the Los Choneros gang, was not in his cell at a low-security prison. He was scheduled to be transferred to a high-security facility that day.
His whereabouts were unclear.
Prosecutors opened an investigation and filed charges against two guards in connection with the alleged escape, but neither police, the penitentiary system nor the federal government confirmed whether Macías had escaped from the facility or may have been hiding inside.
He escaped from a high-security facility in February 2013 but was recaptured weeks later.
On Monday, President Daniel Noboa declared a national state of emergency for 60 days, allowing authorities to suspend rights and mobilize the military in places such as prisons. The government also imposed a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m
Noboa said in a message on Instagram that he would not stop until he “brought peace back to all Ecuadorians” and that his government had decided to confront crime.
The state of emergency was widely used by Noboa's predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, to counter the wave of violence that has swept the country.
The wave of attacks began a few hours after Noboa's announcement.
Macías, who was convicted of drug trafficking, murder and organized crime, was serving a 34-year sentence at La Regional prison in the port of Guayaquil.
Los Choneros is one of the Ecuadorian gangs that authorities blame for a surge in violence that reached new heights last year with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Authorities say the gang has ties to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel.
Experts and authorities have acknowledged that gang members effectively rule from prisons, and it is believed that Macías continued to control his group from the detention facility.