GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR – Journalist Alina Manrique from TC Television network in Guayaquil, Ecuador, recounted the harrowing experience when armed masked men stormed the TV station’s set during a live news program. The men, who were armed with guns and what appeared to be sticks of dynamite, infiltrated the TC Television network’s premises while a live news program was being broadcasted to homes across the country. The intruders threatened the staff, claimed to have explosives, and gunshots were heard during the siege.
This incident occurred following the high-security prison escape of Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, also known as Fito, the leader of the Choneros cartel. President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency for 60 days, authorizing the entry of the army into prisons to restore control, amidst the outbreak of violence, including car bombs, police abductions, and cartel threats. Subsequently, a gang believed to be affiliated with the Tiguerones cartel invaded the building housing TC Television.
Manrique, who is the head of news at the station, expressed her fears during the attack, stating, “I thought it was my last day on Earth and I wouldn’t see my children again.” The heavily armed intruders forced the staff to the ground at gunpoint and compelled them to plea on video for the president not to intervene against the criminal gangs. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, and all 13 masked intruders were later arrested and charged with terrorism.
Despite the arrests, terror continues to grip the streets of Ecuador with explosions, shootings, and prisons spiraling out of control. Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez confirmed at least eight fatalities from the violence in the city. President Noboa referred to the events as “a terrorist threat against the pillars of the sovereign state” after the gunmen infiltrated the television station in Guayaquil.
Notably, the authorities have yet to capture Fito and another rival gang leader, Fabricio Colon Pico, also known as The Savage, who escaped from a prison in Riobamba along with 38 other prisoners. The escalating violence has put pressure on the president, particularly in the wake of a record high of 7,600 murders in the previous year.
In conclusion, the threat of organized crime continues to plague Ecuador, as the authorities grapple with escaped cartel leaders and a surge in violent incidents.