Police in Quito, Ecuador have announced the arrest of six individuals following two car explosions that may have targeted the country’s prisons agency, SNAI. General Pablo Ramirez, speaking in a video posted on X, the social network previously known as Twitter, suggested a possible connection to the former SNAI building, which now houses the Ministry of Women and Human Rights. The timing of the second explosion is unclear.
According to the police, some of the suspects involved in the first explosion abandoned their stolen car, which contained a slow fuse explosive. Two other individuals who were subsequently arrested allegedly threw a flammable liquid onto the car. A second vehicle, also reported as stolen and containing two cylinders of gasoline and a slow fuse, exploded near the current office of the prisons agency, causing damage to the building and the destruction of the vehicle on 12th of October Avenue between Wilson and Foch streets.
No injuries were reported in either incident. Ecuador has witnessed a surge in violence and crime on its streets and in its prisons since the pandemic began, with drug gangs being blamed for the bloodshed. The recent assassination of anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio also cast a shadow over the ongoing election contest, which is set to proceed to a second round on Oct. 15 and is still under investigation.
On Wednesday, authorities conducted operations in Cotopaxi prison, although they have not confirmed any transfers of high-level prisoners. Previous transfers of gang leaders have sparked riots in Ecuadorian jails. Security incidents were also reported on Wednesday at Turi prison in Cuenca, but details have yet to be provided by the authorities.
The suspects arrested include four Ecuadorians with previous records of extortion and kidnapping, as well as one Colombian. The nationality of the sixth individual is currently unclear.
Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by David Holmes
Credit: The Star : News Feed
