Ecuadorean authorities have regained control of a TV station taken by masked individuals earlier on Tuesday (January 9), Ecuador’s Interior Ministry informed through a post on its X account, Reuters reports.
Pedestrians of Guayaquil were shocked when a live broadcast by Ecuadorean television station TC was interrupted on Tuesday (January 9) by armed people.
The national police said on social media it was evacuating the public channel's studio in Guayaquil, verifying the staff's condition and "reestablishing order."
TV presenter Jorge Rendon was in the studio broadcasting live when the attack took place. Rendon said the attack was "extremely violent" and thanked the police for its rapid intervention.
Police in Guayaquil confirmed 13 arrests, and police social media posts showed photos of young men lying on the floor with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
TC, which broadcasts nationally, shares a site with another public broadcaster, Gamavision, and several radio stations.
On Tuesday (January 9) a live broadcast by Ecuadorean television station TC was interrupted by armed people, with gunshots and yelling heard on a live feed, as President Daniel Noboa issued a decree declaring 22 gangs as terrorist organizations. The people, wearing balaclavas and mostly dressed in black, were seen wielding large guns and accosting huddled staffers before the feed eventually cut out.
The incident followed the kidnappings of at least seven police officers and a series of explosions, a day after Noboa declared a state of emergency.
'Even malls shut down' - Nerves spread in Ecuador after TV station takeover.
File footage distributed by the Ecuadorean Police in 2023 showed prisoner Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, whose escape from prison has sparked instability in Ecuador.
Videos show Macias, the leader of Los Choneros criminal gang who is also known as 'Fito,' being escorted by military and police in the Prison No.4 in Guayaquil on August 12 before his transfer to La Roca prison.
His escape unleashed a series of explosions in several cities, and at least four Ecuadorean police officers were kidnapped by criminals, police said on Tuesday (January 9).
On Monday night (January 8) President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency for 60 days.
Macias prison was serving a 34-year sentence. Police and prosecutors have given scant information about Macias' disappearance.
