Thugs hold gun to reporter's head and put bomb in pocket in live studio attack

13 January 2024 , 14:10

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Thugs hold gun to reporter's head and put bomb in pocket in live studio attack

A newsreader has spoken of the 'chaotic' moment he had a gun held to his head during an on-air attack by armed thugs.

Jose Luis Calderon, a journalist in Ecuador, said the masked gunmen also put an explosive in his jacket pocket after barging entry into TC Television's studios in Guayaquil.

Footage showed him trying to reason with the masked gunmen as they moved a gun towards his head. The presenter said he remained "calm" throughout the ordeal, and fortunately escaped with his life when police brought the terrifying hijacking to a close.

It came as the South American nation descended into several days of lawless riots after Jose Adolfo Macias, the leader of the powerful Los Choneros narco gang and known as Ecuador's 'most dangerous prisoner', escaped from jail.

Armed gunmen held a gun to newsreader Jose Luis Calderon's head during an attack in Ecuador (TC)

At least ten people have been reported dead since the country declared a 60-day state of emergency, with a series of uprisings in prisons spreading rapidly following the drug lord's escape. Police officers have also been kidnapped, and at least 125 corrections personnel taken hostage inside prisons.

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Recalling the moment attackers breached the TV studio, Jose told Sky News: "It was a really chaotic moment, but in that instant, I kept my calm. You've seen the pictures, I'm calm, looking as if I'm praying, asking them not to go too far. There was no explanation about what was happening at that moment."

The presenter described the breach as a 'chaotic moment' but said he stayed 'calm' throughout (TC TELEVISION/AFP via Getty Imag)

Alina Manrique, head of news for the broadcaster, was also in the control room across from the studio when the men entered the building - and has now spoken of her plans to leave the country in the aftermath of the harrowing incident.

One of the men pointed a gun at her head and told her to get on the floor, while some of the assailants ran from the studio and tried to hide elsewhere in the building when they realised they were surrounded by police, she said. Ms Manrique told the Associated Press in a phone interview: "I am still in shock. Everything has collapsed. All I know is that its time to leave this country, and go very far away."

Ecuador has been gripped by violence since the escape of a high-profile drug lord from jail (TC)

The Ecuadorian government said nearly 330 people, including the TC Television suspects, had been arrested for alleged acts of terrorism as of Wednesday afternoon. After a declaration of "war" against the gangs by President Daniel Noboa, security forces across Ecuador have guarded hospitals, public transit and newsrooms. Teachers and students were also instructed to hold classes remotely until yesterday afternoon.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas