Schools and stores close in Ecuador after live TV gang attack

Soldiers roamed the streets of Ecuador’s major cities on Wednesday, a day after armed men stormed a television station during a mid-afternoon live broadcast. More than a dozen armed men stormed TC Televisión in the city of Guayaquil. The men, armed with guns and explosives, intimidated journalists at the station for roughly 15 minutes and unleashed threats that were broadcast to the nation before the broadcast was cut off. Police arrived later and arrested 13 men.

Why did the gang members do this? The motive for the attacks remained unclear. A day before the attack, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency after a gang leader escaped from prison over the weekend. Gang members and police officers have clashed in locations across the country since Monday, resulting in the deaths of several people. On Tuesday after the televised attack, Noboa updated his state of emergency order, saying that Ecuador had entered a state of “internal armed conflict.” He also designated 20 gangs as terrorist groups.

Dig deeper: Read Maria Baer’s column in WORLD Opinions about the lessons from Jim Elliot’s martyrdom during his time in Ecuador.