Gunmen burst into a TV studio in Ecuador during a live broadcast Tuesday, taking hostages as apparent gunshots were heard in the background.
According to the AP, the armed men stormed the TC Television network in Guayaquil. The men pointed both handguns and rifles at reporters and studio crew members and claimed to have bombs.
The reporters could be seen in a video pleading for help. According to the Mirror.Co.UK, the journalists could be heard yelling, “They want to kill us all,” and hostages also reportedly posted pleas for help on social media.
After President Noboa declared a state of emergency in Ecuador, armed criminals have invaded a local TV Channel and made the journalists hostages. pic.twitter.com/ESGmI7wwf7
— Crazy Ass Moments in LatAm Politics (@AssLatam) January 9, 2024
President Daniel Noboa declared a national state of emergency Monday in the face of civil unrest after the escape of a powerful gang leader from prison led to many acts of violence in the country. Noboa, who assumed office in November, had vowed to crack down on criminal activity. During his campaign, Noboa called for the construction of two new maximum-security prisons.
Noboa issued more directives Tuesday after the gunmen seized the hostages, declaring almost two dozen Ecuadorian drug trafficking gangs as terrorist groups and authorizing the military to “neutralize” those groups.
The attack on the TV station came just hours after Noboa posted a message on Instagram saying that he would pursue the crackdown on crime until he “brings back peace to all Ecuadorians.”
Guayaquil is located about 250 miles southwest of Quito, the national capital.
[AP News]
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