Ecuadorian prosecutor probing armed takeover of TV station murdered

BOGOTA, Colombia

The prosecutor in charge of investigating the takeover by armed men of an Ecuadorian television station during a live broadcast on Jan. 9 was shot to death on Wednesday while driving his car in the city of Guayaquil, authorities said.

“Organized crime groups, criminals, terrorists will not stop our commitment to Ecuadorian society,” Attorney General Diana Salazar said on X shortly after the news broke.

Cesar Suarez was traveling down Bombero Avenue in the north of Guayaquil when unknown individuals shot him, police sources said. More than 20 bullet holes were seen in the vehicle.

Suarez played a decisive role in key cases of corruption and organized crime, including the armed assault on the TC Television channel a week ago, in which 11 detainees are being prosecuted for terrorism. He was also responsible for the case against Daniel Salcedo, a fugitive from Ecuadorian justice accused of drug trafficking, who was arrested in the last few hours in Panama.

In response to last week's acts of violence, President Daniel Noboa made the decision to designate 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations, declare a 60-day state of emergency and recognize an "internal armed conflict" in the South American country.

The police said that specialized units have been deployed to find those responsible for the incident.

Attorney General Salazar “called on law enforcement agencies to guarantee the safety of those of us who are in the performance of our duties” and vowed that “this crime will not remain unpunished."