Armed men attacked the TV studio during a live broadcast

In the Latin American country of Ecuador, gunmen took hostages during a live television broadcast. The attack appears to be part of a coordinated effort.

A live TV broadcast in Ecuador was attacked by gunmen. At around 2pm local time, masked men entered the studio armed with machine guns and grenades and took hostages, the broadcaster said. According to reports, there were more than 20 armed men. As announced on the X platform, the police have now completed the hostage-taking. Many were arrested.

The attack took place at the headquarters of the TC TV station in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city. According to several standard reports, the city's university was also attacked by criminals. That evening, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa signed a decree declaring an “armed civil conflict”. It said the armed forces would be ordered to take action against around 20 criminal outfits. Earlier in the day, he had already declared a state of emergency in the country.

According to Argentinian newspaper La Nacion, people could be heard screaming on TC's broadcast, pleading not to shoot. The masked men forced the studio staff to lie on the floor with their hands over their heads – then they held weapons and grenades at the camera.

In a video released by the kidnappers in the evening, the detained journalists demand that the police leave the vicinity of the police station building – otherwise they risk their safety. Peruvian daily “La Repubblica” writes that they addressed their speech directly to President Daniel Noboa. It is unclear whether the statements were made voluntarily or coerced by the armed hostages. Some of the hostages have previously asked for help in chat groups, the Guardian reported. “They want to kill us all. Help us,” one of the hostages wrote, according to British media.

British newspaper The Guardian writes that the attack appears to be part of a coordinated effort by armed groups across the country. A video circulating on the X platform purportedly shows a suspected inmate shooting a guard in the head. Prison inmates across the country are reportedly holding their guards hostage. Other videos show gunmen shooting at police cars. Another video shows inmates hanging guards.

Recently, criminal gangs staged violent clashes in the country's prisons and held guards hostage. According to the prison administration, Adolfo Macias, “Fito”, the leader of the powerful gang “Los Soneros”, managed to escape from the prison in the city of Guayaquil.

Violence also broke out in the gang-controlled Esmeraldas province in the country's northwest, according to Ecuadorian police, after the president declared a state of emergency. Two vehicles were set on fire by placing an explosive device near the police station.

Violence in Ecuador has increased dramatically in recent years. dpa writes that in 2022 there were 25 murders per 100,000 citizens. Many of the overcrowded prisons are controlled by criminal organizations and gang fights are frequent.