During large-scale protests in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa's motorcade was attacked. The head of state's car sustained bullet damage, but Noboa himself was not injured and continued to perform his duties. The government called the incident an assassination attempt and promised to punish those responsible. This was reported by El País, writes UNN.
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The Ecuadorian government has filed an official complaint with the prosecutor's office regarding the alleged assassination attempt on President Daniel Noboa, which occurred during his visit to the municipality of El Tambo in the Andean province of Cañar.
According to Minister of Environment and Energy Inés Manzano, upon the president's arrival at the event, a group of about 500 people began throwing stones at the presidential motorcade, and bullet holes were found on the vehicle in which Noboa was traveling.
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Despite the attack, the head of state was not injured – he participated in the planned event and, according to the minister, continued to work as usual. Manzano emphasized that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible "will not go unpunished."
According to preliminary information, five participants in the riots have already been detained. They are being charged with terrorism. The Presidential Secretariat of Communications confirmed that Noboa's car is currently being examined by forensic experts to establish the circumstances of the attack.
The attack incident occurred on the sixteenth day of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) – the country's most influential public organization. The reason for the mass protests was the government's cancellation of diesel fuel subsidies, which led to a price increase from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon.
Government representatives state that indigenous communities are not involved in the attack, and that criminal groups are behind the attack, "provoking terrorist acts."
At the same time, CONAIE, in its statement on social network X, condemned the actions of the police and military, accusing the authorities of excessive use of force against protesters. The organization also reported five "arbitrarily detained" activists during the president's visit to El Tambo.