Violence erupts in Ecuador; president labels 22 gangs as terrorists, state of emergency declared
\nNews Agency
\nQUITO\/ GUAYAQUIL
\nGunmen with explosives stormed a TV station on-air in Ecuador on Tuesday during a wave of violence around the nation that prompted President Daniel Noboa to name 22 gangs as terrorist organizations to be hunted by the military.
\nPolice eventually rescued the TV staff and arrested the 13 men who burst into TC\u2019s studio during a live broadcast with long-range guns, grenades and dynamites, according to witnesses in the coastal city of Guayaquil.
\nElsewhere in Ecuador, at least seven police officers were kidnapped and there were several explosions. \u201cThank God, we are alive, because it was an extremely violent attack,\u201d said Jorge Rendon, deputy director of the news program that was interrupted.
\nNoboa, who took office in November promising to stem drug-related violence, declared a 60-day state of emergency on Monday in response to prison violence – including hostage-takings of guards by inmates – and the apparent escape of Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macias over the weekend.
\nIn a revised decree on Tuesday, Noboa declared nearly two dozen gangs terrorist groups, including Los Choneros.
\nThe government has said the violence is a reaction to Noboa\u2019s plan to build a new high security prison for gang leaders. \u201cThey have created a wave of violence to frighten the populace,\u201d said Admiral Jaime Vela, head of the joint command of the armed forces, adding that the decree made the gangs military targets.
\nPrison transfers of gang leaders have historically led to violence, with hundreds of inmates killed in recent years.
\nGang wars over lucrative cocaine smuggling routes have also fuelled the instability.
\nPeru declared an emergency along its border with Ecuador, while other alarmed South American nations Brazil, Colombia and Chile all expressed support for Noboa\u2019s government.
\nChina, a major investor in Ecuador, closed its embassy and consulates until further notice.
\nLive invasion
\nThe takeover of TC\u2019s studio in Guayaquil was broadcast for about 20 minutes, to the astonishment of viewers. Men wearing balaclavas and mostly dressed in black wielded guns and accosted staffers huddling on the floor.
\nGunshots and yelling were heard, before later police commandoes arrived to rescue the terrified media employees.
\n\u201cThey (the attackers) shot one of our cameramen in the leg, broke the arm of another one,\u201d added the broadcaster\u2019s Rendon. \u201cThe police came in minutes, surrounded the TV station and the tactical units intervened.\u201d
\nThe attackers entered through Gamavision\u2019s reception, assaulting staff there and leaving dynamite behind, TC news coordinator and reporter Leonardo Flores Moreno told Reuters, saying he and others in a meeting were able to hide. Police said they confiscated explosives and guns, and showed images of young men kneeling with their hands zip-tied.
\nThe channel was back on-air for its evening news broadcast, with anchors saying the attorney general\u2019s office was on site collecting evidence.
\nIn the southern city of Machala, Quito and Los Rios province seven police officers were kidnapped in three incidents, police said earlier. The three officers taken in Machala were freed late on Tuesday, the police said, and ten arrests were made.
\nThe police confirmed explosions in Esmeraldas and Los Rios, while mayor\u2019s offices in Cuenca and Quito confirmed others, and the attorney general\u2019s office said it was investigating one in Guayaquil. Media also reported explosions in Loja and Machala.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Violence erupts in Ecuador; president labels 22 gangs as terrorists, state of emergency declared News Agency QUITO\/ GUAYAQUIL Gunmen with explosives stormed a TV station on-air in Ecuador on Tuesday during a wave of violence around the nation that prompted President Daniel Noboa to name 22 gangs as terrorist organizations to be hunted by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-380044","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n