- Colin Armstrong, 78, was kidnapped from his villa by 15 gunmen on Saturday
This is the moment a kidnapped British millionaire was rescued by Ecuadorian police officers after refusing to give protection to a gang.
Colin Armstrong, 78, was kidnapped from his villa by 15 gunmen along with his girlfriend Katherine Paola Santos on Saturday morning and was last seen bundled in the back of a car.
Ecuadorian police released a video showing their cars speeding down a dirt road, seemingly on their way to rescue Armstrong.
Several armed officers can be seen surrounding a small brick building from various angles, but the actual raid was not shown.
Police showed off the stash they seized from the gang, including five grenades, six firearms, 1,500 cartridges, 30 fuses, two vehicles and “several kilos of controlled substances.”
One report claimed that Mr. Armstrong was targeted by a cartel after refusing to pay protection money.
Police showed off the stash they seized from the gang, including five grenades, six firearms, 1,500 cartridges, 30 fuses, two vehicles and “several kilos of controlled substances,” according to Colin Armstrong, 78, and his partner Katherine Paola Santos Pictured together in Jamaica Colin Armstrong, 78, and his partner Katherine Paola Santos are pictured together.
During his ordeal, footage emerged of Miss Santos apparently showing bomb disposal officers removing an “explosives-filled vest” that her captors had allegedly forced her to wear. She reportedly said the vest would explode if a ransom was not paid.
But officers suspect she was part of the scam and police questioned Miss Santos about her abduction and how she came to be released.
On Wednesday, Cesar Augusto Zapata Correa, Ecuador's police chief, tweeted that Mr. Armstrong had been found on a road near Manabi, not far from Los Rios, and had been kidnapped.
Police released a picture showing him wearing a baseball cap, slightly blurred in accordance with local law, flanked by two police officers. He appeared fit and well.
Mr. Correa wrote: “Our units have released citizen Colin A., kidnapped a few days ago in Los Rios. “At the moment he is safe and healthy.”
Officials later gave more details at a police news conference in the Ecuadorian capital Quito, saying that of the nine people arrested, eight were locals and one was a foreigner.
No information was given about their ages and a lineup released at the news conference showed nine pixelated faces.
Police said they released the businessman after he raided a farmhouse at 5 a.m. GMT on Tuesday night at 11 p.m. local time and he was taken away. Officials provided further details, saying that of the nine people arrested, eight were locals and one was a foreigner
Police Chief Cesar Zapata said the motive for the crime was “economic,” but he would not say how much ransom was paid.
A woman identified as Mr Armstrong's partner wearing a fake explosive vest was found the day after his abduction and questioned as part of the investigation.
Police said they released the businessman after he raided a farmhouse at 5 a.m. GMT on Tuesday night at 11 p.m. local time and he was taken away.
A search of the house uncovered a huge arsenal of handguns and automatic rifles as well as stun grenades as well as cash and drugs.
It has since been claimed that a feared criminal gang allied with a violent Mexican cartel and forcing new recruits to eat raw human hearts has been linked to Mr Armstrong's kidnapping.
The brutal Los Tiguerones, whose members identify themselves with tattoos of beret-wearing tigers, had been identified as the main suspects overnight before police announced Mr. Armstrong's release.
Officials are said to have zeroed in on the group because they allegedly kidnapped the 78-year-old president of agricultural marketing company Agripac after he refused to pay them a monthly protection fee.
A well-informed source quoted in the Daily Telegraph said: “This is currently the most likely reason for the kidnapping.”
Police have confirmed that nine suspects have been arrested so far, but have not officially said whether they belong to Los Tiguerones.
The shadowy gang was a small support unit of Los Choneros, one of the South American country's oldest organized crime groups, when it was first reported in 2019.
Four years later, the organization, which had just 900 members in its early days, has grown from its birthplace in Ecuador's northern port city to a leading player nationally and in neighboring Peru.
Los Choneros were allied with El Chapo Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel and Los Tiguerones is known to be linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
The cartel is a Mexican organized crime syndicate known for its aggressive use of extreme violence.
Last year it emerged that the CJNG gang was forcing new members into cannibalism and began sharing videos of gang members feasting on the hearts of their enemies.
Meanwhile, Leo Morris, a family friend, told Web in a statement: “We can confirm that Mr Colin Armstrong has been successfully released and is currently being questioned by the police and will then return to his family in Ecuador.”
“The entire British family, staff and friends are delighted with the outcome and are looking forward to a happier Christmas.”
“We have no further news at this time.”
Mr Armstrong's son Nick Armstrong, who runs the family estate in North Yorkshire, had flown to Ecuador to help with the hunt.
The father and son are directors of the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate near Leyburn in north Yorkshire, which has been the family home for more than 45 years.
Mr Armstrong's daughter, Diana Armstrong-Bruns, a California-based real estate agent, had told Web earlier this week after his abduction: “This is a critical time, we've been told not to say anything to anyone.” “We just want mine Father back.”
The wealthy businessman was kidnapped from his ranch called Rancho Rodeo Grande by up to 15 masked men reportedly disguised as police officers before being driven away in their black BMW, which was later found abandoned on the side of the road.
On Saturday, Mr Armstrong's glamorous girlfriend was also kidnapped. But 24 hours later, she was reportedly seen in a taxi wearing a bomb vest at his son Nick's home.
The police were alerted and video footage has now emerged that appears to show Ms. Santos having her explosive vest removed by a bomb disposal expert at a fenced-in private property in Samborondon, near Guayaquil.
Ms Santos was questioned by investigators yesterday about her abduction, her apparent release and whether she was forced by Mr Armstrong's captors to wear the bomb vest to demand a ransom from his family.
The couple appear in this picture together on a safari vacation before the reported kidnapping. Mr Armstrong's daughter Diana Armstrong-Bruns (pictured), a California-based real estate agent, had told Web earlier this week after his abduction: “This is a critical time, we have been told not to say anything to anyone. “We just want my dad back.” His son Nick Armstrong (right), who runs the family estate in North Yorkshire, had flown to Ecuador to help with the hunt
Meanwhile, chilling footage posted online showed the kidnappers leaving a bloodstained trail after searching Mr. Armstrong's remote ranch in Los Rios province.
Mr Armstrong headed the British consulate in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil and was honored by the late Queen for his services to his country.
A video reportedly taken inside the property known as Rancho Rodeo Grande shows the aftermath of the attack.
A woman filming at the ranch took close-up shots of broken plates on the floor and a man holding his head.
She then went into one of the bedrooms where there was blood on the bed sheets and on the floor.
As she focused on the stained sheets, she is said to have said, “This is where they beat him. 'My God, what is that!'
The honorary consul's car, a black BMW, which was allegedly used to drive away the kidnap victims, was reportedly found abandoned on the road between the town of Baba and the nearby town of Salitre.
Local police initially managed to activate satellite tracking of the BMW, which showed it heading south toward the city of Ecuador, but lost track of it.
According to local reports, British intelligence was involved in the hunt for Colin.
The Foreign Office previously said: “We are in contact with the Ecuadorian authorities following the disappearance of a British man and are supporting his family.”
Mr Armstrong owns the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate in North Yorkshire, which was his childhood home.
The property now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors each year to an attraction called “Forgotten Corner,” which was originally built as a private craze.
Mr Armstrong – who is believed to have previously been married to an Ecuadorian woman – has a long connection to the South American country where he owns Agripac, a major agricultural supply company he founded in 1972.
Pictures on TikTok show wealthy businessman Colin Armstrong, 78, and his partner Katherine Paola Santos enjoying a jet-setting lifestyle before their abduction on Saturday. Mr. Armstrong headed the British consulate in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil and was honored by the late queen for his services to his country
He works there with his son Nick, who took over the role of honorary consul in the city of Guayaquil from his father in 2016 and is also a director of the company that runs Ripon Racecourse in North Yorkshire.
His adopted son Leo Morris helps run a restaurant on the family estate in Yorkshire.
In recent years, Ecuador – located between the world's top cocaine producers Colombia and Peru – has become a hub for foreign and domestic drug cartels blamed for a series of massacres, kidnappings and extortions.
Gangs now control the prisons and violence on the streets has increased. Since 2018, the nationwide murder rate has more than quadrupled, rising from six to 26 per 100,000 residents.
As a major port city, Guayaquil has become a hub for cartels exporting drugs to the United States and Europe.
President Daniel Noboa, a native of Guayaquil who took office in late November, has vowed to crack down on drug traffickers.
His election was followed by a violent campaign in which eight politicians, including a mayor, were killed.