Gunmen brazenly invaded a television studio in Ecuador during a live broadcast, threatening staff and causing chaos. The startling incident was captured in footage posted on YouTube by AP news.
The video revealed over a dozen masked men forcefully breaking into the set of a public television station, TC, located in the city of Guayaquil. Armed with pistols and what appeared to be sticks of dynamite, the intruders disrupted a live news program. Staff members were compelled to lie on the floor as the harrowing incident unfolded and was broadcasted live to thousands of homes across the nation before the station’s signal was abruptly cut off after approximately 15 minutes.
The unsettling event occurred amidst a 60-day state of emergency declared in Ecuador on Monday, triggered by the mysterious disappearance of a convicted gang leader from his prison cell. The hooded gunmen were seen departing the TC studios, and police were observed entering the set about 30 minutes after the initial appearance of the armed intruders. National police units were swiftly deployed to the scene in Quito and Guayaquil.
A statement from the country’s National Police Force, shared on X, formerly Twitter, confirmed the evacuation of staff from the studio. In response to the incident, President Daniel Noboa signed an Executive Order declaring an internal armed conflict. He listed several organized crime groups as “terrorist organizations” and “non-state actors.”
Since the state of emergency declaration, at least seven police officers have been kidnapped by gang members. President Noboa introduced these measures following the disappearance of the Los Choneros gang boss from a maximum-security jail on Sunday. Nearly 40 other inmates, including another convicted drug lord, escaped from a different prison in the city of Riobamba in the early hours of Tuesday.
While it remains unclear whether the attack on the television station is linked to the prison escape, the incident underscores the worsening security situation in the country.