State of Emergency Declared as Security Crisis Deepens Following Gang Leader’s Escape
In a shocking incident, gunmen broke into an Ecuadorian television station during a live show, threatening staff and disrupting a news program. The brazen attack unfolded at the Guayaquil station TC, where a dozen masked men armed with pistols and what appeared to be dynamite sticks invaded the set, shouting and intimidating the staff.
The distressing scene was broadcast live on national television for approximately 15 minutes before the station signal was abruptly switched off. Viewers across the country witnessed the attackers ordering the station’s employees to lie on the floor during the harrowing intrusion.
The assailants, whose identities remain unknown, were observed leaving the TC studios, with law enforcement officers entering the set roughly 30 minutes later. National police troops have been deployed to the location from Quito and Guayaquil, as the country grapples with an escalating security crisis.
Ecuador declared a 60-day state of emergency on Monday following the mysterious disappearance of a convicted gang leader from his prison cell. In response to the armed intrusion at the television station, the National Police Force evacuated the studio staff.
President Daniel Noboa reacted to the incident by signing an Executive Order proclaiming an internal armed conflict and designating organized crime gangs as “terrorist organizations” and “non-state actors.” The state of emergency was imposed after at least seven police officers were kidnapped by gang members.
The regulations were enacted following the escape of the chief of the Los Choneros gang from a maximum-security prison on Sunday. Since then, the security situation has further deteriorated, with around 40 detainees, including another convicted drug lord, escaping from a jail in Riobamba.
While it remains unclear whether the storming of the television station is directly related to the prison breakout, the incident underscores the worsening security situation in Ecuador. As authorities grapple with these challenges, the nation remains on edge, awaiting further developments in the ongoing crisis.
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