Ecuador President's convoy attacked, five arrested for alleged assassination attempt
Quito [Ecuador], October 8 (HBTV): Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa narrowly escaped an alleged assassination attempt on Tuesday after protesters in Canar province attacked his convoy. The incident occurred as the president was travelling to announce a series of infrastructure projects, according to CNN.
Energy Minister Ines Manzano said that around 500 people surrounded the president’s vehicle, throwing rocks and shouting as the convoy passed. Later, officials found what appeared to be bullet marks on Noboa’s car. The president was unharmed in the attack.
A video released by the presidential office showed crowds on both sides of the road hurling rocks at the motorcade, cracking the vehicle’s windows.
Following the attack, Defence Minister Gian Carlo Lofferdo declared that ‘nothing can stop this president’. He also posted a photo of the 37-year-old leader on X, stating, ‘Nothing stops this president, which is the best sign that the country won’t be stopped either.’
Authorities arrested five individuals in connection with the attack, who are expected to face charges of terrorism and attempted murder. ‘Shooting at the president’s car, throwing stones, damaging state property — that’s just criminal,’ Manzano said, adding that the government had officially reported the incident as an assassination attempt.
This was not the first such incident targeting Noboa. In September, about 350 people attacked a convoy carrying the president, UN delegates, EU members, and Italian diplomats in Imbabura province, using rocks, fireworks, and Molotov cocktails.
Following that earlier attack, Noboa wrote on X, ‘They resist Ecuador’s progress and chose violence. They ambushed in Otavalo another humanitarian convoy that I myself led along with UN delegates, the EU, the Italian ambassador, and the apostolic nuncio. They responded to us with violence. We continue: Ecuador cannot go backward.’
The latest violence comes amid weeks of nationwide protests triggered by the government’s decision to end a diesel subsidy. The move aims to reduce public spending, curb fuel smuggling, and redirect funds to social programs.
Ecuador’s main Indigenous organisation, CONAIE, has accused the government of using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators. After the arrests, the group claimed on social media that those detained were protesters attacked during a ‘brutal police and military action’.
The Noboa administration has maintained that criminal and ‘terrorist’ groups have infiltrated the protests to incite chaos. Over the weekend, the government declared a state of emergency in ten provinces affected by unrest, while allowing peaceful demonstrations to continue.
President Noboa reaffirmed his stance on the fuel subsidy issue, stating, ‘Those who choose violence will face the law. Those who act like criminals will be treated as criminals.’ (ANI)