The prosecutor in charge of the investigation into the irruption of armed men live on the set of an Ecuadorian public television channel on January 9, briefly taking journalists and other employees hostage, was assassinated, a announced Wednesday, January 17, the prosecution to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“In response to the murder of our colleague César Suarez (…)I will be categorical: organized crime groups, criminals and terrorists will not stop our commitment to Ecuadorian society”said Attorney General Diana Salazar, in a video posted on X.
This live irruption of heavily armed men, pinning journalists and employees of the TC Television channel to the ground under threat, in Guayaquil (South-West), shocked the country, where a wave of violence was triggered by gangs of drug traffickers. The police, who quickly arrived on the scene, arrested thirteen attackers, without causing any casualties.
“They came in to kill us, my God protect us”, had sent one of the captive journalists to an AFP correspondent, in a WhatsApp message. Complaints were audible in the background.
The broadcast of these images continued live amid gunshots for many minutes, despite the lights on the set going out and the absence of camera movement.