Ecuador descends into cartel violence (VIDEOS)

Footage posted to social media shows criminals gangs running amok and taking security forces hostage

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared an “internal armed conflict” in the country on Tuesday after gunmen stormed a TV station and reportedly attacked a university.

Police and security forces were deployed in Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, where masked gunmen overrun the headquarters of TC Television, interrupting a live broadcast.

Several attackers have since been detained and “the vast majority” of the hostages were rescued, according to presidential spokesman Roberto Izurieta Canova.

🚨🇪🇨#BREAKING: The military are taking positions on the streets of Ecuador. pic.twitter.com/XbQuQtSfsV

— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) January 9, 2024

BREAKING: CARTEL MEMBERS HAVE SURRENDERED TO POLICE AND SOME HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN RESCUED IN ECUADOR pic.twitter.com/RKiLxaIUc7

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) January 9, 2024

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