Ecuador President Noboa escapes unhurt after attack on convoy

Video shows attack on President Noboa’s motorcade in Ecuador [Source: Screenshot from Reuters]

Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa’s car was surrounded by a group of around 500 people throwing rocks as he approached an event in Cañar province, a top minister said, adding that “signs of bullet damage” were found on the president’s vehicle.

Environment and Energy Minister Ines Manzano spoke on Tuesday after formally filing a report of an assassination attempt against Noboa. The president was not hurt and five people have been detained, the minister said. Noboa’s office said all those arrested would be processed under charges of terrorism and attempted assassination. Reuters could not independently verify whether a bullet was fired.

Read: Ecuador prison riot leaves 14 dead, 14 injured in gang clash^[1]

A video from inside a car published by the presidency showed people throwing rocks at the side of the road and cracking the car’s window. A separate image published by the presidency showed a vehicle with smashed windows. A photograph of 37-year-old Noboa standing outside the damaged car in sunglasses was also released after the incident.

The national Indigenous federation CONAIE said orchestrated violence had broken out against the people who mobilized for Noboa’s arrival, saying that elderly women were among those attacked in a “brutal police and military action.”

CONAIE launched a strike action 16 days ago, organizing marches and blockading some roads, in a protest against the government ending diesel subsidies. Critics say further dialogue is needed and that the measure will increase the cost of living, particularly for small-scale farmers and Indigenous communities.

Read More: Copa America final can’t hide challenges^[2]

Noboa signed the executive decree eliminating subsidies in mid-September, and his government declared emergency measures in several provinces to maintain order.

The government has defended ending the subsidy, which it said will free up some $1.1 billion a year that it has already begun to redistribute in compensation payments to small-scale farmers and people working in the transport sector.

Noboa, who was reelected in April, has frequently granted emergency powers to armed forces and police as part of his tough-on-crime approach to security.