By Nurdina Haziyah
Edited by Maizatul
TV news broadcast in Ecuador went on air for 15 minutes showing armed men invading the studio | Credit: BBC news
ECUADOR, 27th January 2023: Heavily armed men with guns and explosive substances stormed into a live news broadcast in Ecuador on 9th January 2024.
The news broadcasted 15 to 20 minutes of armed men pointing guns toward the staff and forcing them to kneel on the ground before it went off air. They could be seen holding pistols, shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and sticks of dynamite.
Police special forces arrived at the headquarters of the TC Television network about 2 p.m. local time. They successfully rescued the TV staff with two injured and arrested 13 men who ambushed the studio.
This incident prompted the country's president, Noboa, to declare a state of “internal armed conflict” due to the series of attacks by gangsters across the South American country.
Police commander César Zapata stated to the TV channel Teleamazonas that, “This is an act that should be considered a terrorist act.”
The aftermath of this attack led to many people staying home; stores and schools were shut down while soldiers roamed the biggest streets of Ecuador.
Noboa, elected president in October 2023, promised to crack down on violent crimes. As Ecuador has been facing brutal violence from organised crime gangs, especially in prisons, and following the disappearance of a leader’s gang, he declared a two-month state of emergency to take control over the country’s prisons.
He believed the recent attacks were responses from terrorist groups that tried to threaten them.
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