Q24N (VOAnews.com) A group of armed men stormed a public television station in Ecuador during a live broadcast Tuesday and threatened staff.
At least one person is believed to have been injured, according to one regional media analyst.
The attack on TC Television network in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, was captured by the station’s own broadcast before the live feed was cut about 15 minutes into the raid.
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At around 2 p.m. local time, masked individuals broke into the headquarters, yelling that they had bombs. Sounds that appeared to be gunshots could be heard and footage circulated on social media showing journalists crouched on the studio floor.
The raid comes one day after President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency amid the kidnappings of at least seven police officers by gang members and a prison break by a gang leader.
Adolfo Macias, who heads a gang known as Los Choneros, disappeared on Sunday from a maximum-security prison.
In the TC Television case, police were deployed to the studio and made around a dozen arrests, according to the news outlet Teleamazonas. At least two suspects are believed to have fled, the media group said.
Footage shared on social media by the police showed several suspects cuffed and face down on the studio floor.
Cesar Ricaurte, executive director of the press freedom group Fundamedios, told VOA that at least one person is believed to be seriously injured.
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While the footage feed of the station was cut early into the raid, audio could still be heard.
“You could hear the audio …. of gunshots, shouts from the workers. After about 30 minutes, members of the police and the armed forces entered and tried to take control of the channel,” Ricaurte said.
Journalists urged to take safety steps
Earlier Tuesday, Ecuadorian authorities confirmed that a series of attacks had occurred around the country, including explosions and the kidnapping of several police officers.
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Ricaurte told VOA there had been requests to reinforce security of media groups but added that he did not know of any “explicit and concrete threat.”
Fundamedios on social media condemned the raid and called for the country’s journalists to take safety measures.
Media should try “not to expose themselves unnecessarily, and to act in the most responsible way in the dissemination of information regarding the critical security situation in our country,” a statement by the group on X said.
Some information in this report came from Reuters and the Associated Press.
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