Explosions hit Ecuador, local criminal gang and ex-FARC dissidents blamed
Key Takeaways
- Explosions targeted two bridges in Ecuador, causing structural damage and road closures.
- Ecuadorian officials attribute the attacks to the criminal gang Los Lobos and Colombian ex-FARC dissidents.
- The violence is believed to be retaliation for recent major military operations against illegal mining and arrests of gang members.
- The bridge attacks followed a deadly car bombing in Guayaquil, highlighting escalating criminal violence in the nation.
- The US State Department condemned the acts as terrorism and pledged continued support to Ecuador against organized crime.
Ecuador experienced a wave of violence as explosions targeted two separate bridges, with officials immediately blaming the local criminal gang Los Lobos and Colombian ex-FARC dissidents. Transport Minister Roberto Luque described the placement of explosives as "terrorism" aimed at blocking traffic, though no casualties were immediately reported from the bridge incidents. Interior Minister John Reimberg linked the attacks directly to recent security operations that destroyed illegal mining sites in the north and led to detentions of former rebels. These incidents follow a deadly car bombing in Guayaquil hours earlier, underscoring the ongoing struggle President Daniel Noboa's government faces against powerful criminal organizations. The US State Department publicly condemned the attacks as "brazen terrorist attacks against the Ecuadorian people." The Attorney Generalâs Office has launched investigations, while the government vows not to yield to groups attempting to destabilize the nation.
