Terrorist gang seizes live TV studio in Ecuador

Masked attackers were seen wielding guns and holding up staff, before the show was cut off live. Some gestured towards the camera and someone could be heard shouting “no police”.

Image of terrorists taking control of TC Television network in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 9, 2024. Photo: TC Television network

Ecuadorian President Orders Terrorist Gangs to Be 'Neutralized'

The national police later said on social media that they were evacuating the studio of the public television channel in Guayaquil, saying that “order had been restored.” Police confirmed 13 arrests, and police social media posts showed images of young men lying on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs.

Ecuador's national police chief also announced later that authorities had arrested all of the masked intruders. Police commander César Zapata told the Teleamazonas television channel that police had seized guns and explosives that the gunmen were carrying.

Immediately after the gunmen stormed the television station, President Noboa issued a decree designating 22 drug trafficking gangs operating in the country as terrorist groups and authorizing the Ecuadorian military to "neutralize" them within the limits of international humanitarian law.

Authorities have also not said who is believed to be behind the attacks on the television station, which included an explosion near the home of the president of the National Court of Justice and the kidnapping of four police officers on Monday night, or whether they believe the actions were coordinated.

The terrorists were subdued and arrested by police. Photo: Ecuadorian Police

Violence escalates and gang boss Fito disappears

Earlier, President Noboa on Monday declared a state of emergency after Ecuador's most notorious gang leader, Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as Fito and leader of the Los Choneros crime group, suddenly disappeared from prison.

Ecuadorian authorities have not yet determined how many attacks have occurred since they announced Fito’s disappearance on Sunday. He was expected to be transferred to a maximum-security facility that day. Ecuador has been rocked by a wave of drug-related violence in recent years, including murders and kidnappings.

Gang leader Fito was taken out of prison by security forces on August 12, 2023. Photo: El Pais

Fito's whereabouts are unknown. Prosecutors have opened an investigation and charged two guards in connection with his alleged escape. In February 2013, Fito escaped from a maximum security facility but was recaptured a few weeks later.

Fito, who was convicted of drug trafficking, murder and organized crime, is serving a 34-year sentence at La Regional Prison in Guayaquil. Fito is so dangerous that Ecuadorian authorities in August 2023 had to mobilize nearly 4,000 soldiers and police to one prison to capture him and transfer him to another with higher security.

Meanwhile, Los Choneros is one of the gangs that Ecuadorian authorities blame for a spike in violence that reached new levels last year with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The gang is linked to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, according to authorities.

Experts and authorities have acknowledged that criminal gangs have effectively ruled from within Ecuador's prisons, and Fito is believed to have continued to control his group from inside the prison.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bang-dang-khung-bo-chiem-truong-quay-truyen-hinh-truc-tiep-o-ecuador-post280319.html