"We are on air!" Masked gunmen storm TV studio in Ecuador as gang attacks in the country escalate
BY ALLEN PANCHANA AND GONZALO SOLANO
Updated 11:04 PM CST, January 9, 2024
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — It was a day like any other at the TC Television studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with its mid-afternoon newscast underway, when the masked gunmen burst in unleashing at least 15 minutes of threats and fear – all broadcast live
First a man with a pistol appeared in the middle of the public TV station’s live transmission followed by a second man with a shotgun, then a third and more. With the show’s “After the News” title behind them, station employees were brought onto the set and ordered to lie down. Screams could be heard followed by the sounds of gunshots.
“We are on air, so you know that you cannot play with the mafia,” one of the assailants is heard saying.
Masked gunmen could be seen aiming guns at news staff. Someone said: “Don’t shoot!” After about 15 minutes the transmission was cut.
The unprecedented assault on a TV station in Ecuador came hours after a series of other attacks and police officer abductions. It also followed the apparent escapes from prison of two of the leaders of Ecuador’s most powerful gangs.
More:
https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-violence-prisons-television-studio-gangs-72a3df45debae4459663c462304bcf91
Ecuadorans shouldn't worry, they're in the hands of their president, the son of Ecuador's wealthiest man, the banana king. This rich kid can handle it.
