A live broadcast by Ecuadorean television station TC was interrupted by a group of armed people who forced staff to lie and sit on the floor, as shots and yelling were heard. The country\u2019s president has declared 22 gangs as terrorist organisations and said that the country is in a state of \u201cinternal armed conflict\u201d. The people, wearing balaclavas and largely dressed in black, were seen wielding large guns and accosting huddled staffers on the live feed, which eventually cut out on Tuesday. It is unclear if any station personnel were injured. Some of the invaders gestured at the camera and someone could be heard yelling \u201cno police\u201d. Another channel showed images of police outside TC\u2019s studios in Guayaquil, a coastal city that has been plagued by surging violence over the last several years as narcotrafficking groups step up operations in the once relatively peaceful South American nation. \u201cI am still in shock\u201d Alina Manrique, the head of news for TC Television who says she had a gun pointed to her head during the incident, told reporters. \u201cEverything has collapsed. All I know is that its time to leave this country and go very far away.\u201d Ecuador\u2019s national police said on social media that its specialised units had been deployed to the site, and police confirmed that 13 arrests had been made. The national police posted images of several men with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, stating that they were captured in their intervention at the studio. The incident came after at least seven police officers were kidnapped, explosions occurred in several cities and prison inmates seized dozens of guards as hostages, a day after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency. Noboa issued a decree on Tuesday stating that the country was in a state of \u201cinternal armed conflict\u201d and declaring 22 gangs as terrorist organisations. The decree ordered the armed forces to \u201cneutralize\u201d the groups, in line with international law and human rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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