Armed men are arrested after storming an Ecuador TV studio during a live broadcast

[Judi Lynn]

UPDATED JANUARY 9, 20247:09 PM ET
By The Associated Press

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — Masked men broke onto the set of a public television channel in Ecuador waving guns and explosives during a live broadcast on Tuesday, and the president issued a decree declaring that the country had entered an "internal armed conflict."

The men armed with pistols and what looked like sticks of dynamite entered the set of the TC Television network in the port city of Guayaquil during a news program that was airing live in thousands of homes across the nation and shouted that they had bombs. Noises similar to gunshots could be heard in the background. It was not immediately clear if any station personnel were injured.

Authorities have not said who was behind the television station occupation, or a series of other attacks that have shaken the South American country recently, but they follow the apparent escapes from prison of two of Ecuador's most powerful drug gang leaders.

Alina Manrique, the head of news for TC Television, said she was in the control room, across from the studio, when the masked men burst into the building. One of them pointed a gun at her head and told her to get on the floor, Manrique said.

More:
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/09/1223770490/ecuador-tv-studio-armed-men-break-in