This Tuesday, a group of hooded armed men took over the facilities of the Ecuadorian network TC Televisión in the north of the city of Guayaquil, located in the east of a country that has been experiencing an uptick in violence and insecurity in recent days.
The incident began after 2:00 p.m. (local time), when members of criminal groups broke into the facilities and opened fire inside the studio while the TC Television signal was on the air, according to the newspaper ‘El Universo’.
Just a few minutes later, around 2:40 p.m. (local time), the Ecuadorian television station suspended the broadcast of its signal. Some journalists have used their social networks or messaging platforms to ask the Police for help.
“We are in the air so that they know that we do not play with the mafia,” one of the hooded individuals has come to proclaim, who hide their faces under caps and masks and have shown weapons and explosives.
Ecuador is immersed in an uptick in violence and insecurity that has led President Daniel Noboa to decree a state of exception and a curfew. In addition, there have been incidents in penitentiary centers and prisoner escapes.