Gunmen hijack live TV broadcast in Ecuador

Tense and disturbing moments during a live news broadcast airing in Ecuador’s port city of Guayaquil on Tuesday, Jan. 9, when a group of masked gunmen stormed the set waving guns and explosives. Sounds of gunshots could be heard in the background as the assailants shouted out threats over the air for 15 minutes before the feed cut out.

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One of the attackers was heard on the broadcast saying, “We are on air, so you know that you cannot play with the mafia.”

The station’s crew was forced onto the set and ordered to lie down. It was not immediately clear if any of the employees were injured during the incident. Though it is being reported that a journalist at the station said a cameraman was shot and another person’s arm was broken by the attackers.

Police responded, arrested the 13 gunmen, and said they would be charged with terrorism. Authorities said that no one was killed in Tuesday’s, Jan. 9 attack.

The head of Ecuador’s armed forces said the attacks were in response to the government’s moves against gangs in the country. The president of Ecuador declared a state of emergency on Monday, Jan. 8, after one high-profile gang leader escaped from prison. Following the TV set attack, the president issued a decree declaring the South American country had entered an “internal armed conflict.”

The live broadcast hijacking occurred just hours after a series of other attacks in the country and abductions of police officers.