1Berita English – An armed group stormed the TC television station studio in Ecuador on Tuesday (9/1) local time. The attack occurred while the crew was conducting a live broadcast.
According to AFP, the armed individuals took several journalists and television crew members hostage.
“Don’t shoot. Please don’t shoot,” shouted a woman as gunshots were heard.
The live broadcast continued without interruption, even though the lights around the shooting location went out.
Around 30 minutes after the armed individuals arrived, the police were seen entering.
“Police, police,” said a man in uniform. “One of our colleagues is injured,” he continued.
A TC journalist informed AFP via WhatsApp, “Please, they came to kill us. God, don’t let this happen,” she said.
This incident occurred as Ecuador’s newly elected President, Daniel Noboa, was anxious due to the escape of one of the most notorious gangsters in the country from prison. The individual is Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as Fito.
Noboa declared a national state of emergency for 60 days on Monday (8/1), which includes the imposition of a curfew.
In response, the gangsters took hostages, including some police officers, and released a video. One of the hostages was forced to read a message addressed to Noboa.
“You declare war, you will get war. You announce a state of emergency, we declare police, civilians, and the military as spoils of war,” reads the message from the armed group to Noboa.
