A group of armed men stormed onto the set of a major television station in Ecuador during a live broadcast and threatened staff in the studio, according to The Associated Press.
Around 20 hooded and heavily armed men were seen on the news channel’s live feed while noises that sounded similar to gunshots were heard in the background.
The station’s Tuesday broadcast was interrupted by the attack for at least 15 minutes before the signal was cut, The Guardian reported. Before the signal got cut, employees were seen being forced to lie on the floor and one yelled, “Don’t shoot.”
Specialized police units arrived at the scene and arrested several individuals connected to the crime, per Ecuador national police’s social media accounts.
Tuesday’s incident comes after Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency. The declaration followed the alleged escape from prison of the leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, Adolfo Macías, according to Reuters, which reported that he had been serving a 34-year sentence.
As policeman across Ecuador hunt down Macías, crime directed at Noboa is escalating, reports The Guardian.
Noboa was elected to office in October with a vow to clamp down on the accelerating waves of violent crime across the country.
“Tomorrow we start to work for this new Ecuador, we start working to rebuild a country seriously battered by violence, by corruption and by hate,” Noboa said at the time of his election, per The Guardian. “From tomorrow, hope will start working. From tomorrow Daniel Noboa starts work as your new president.”