Violence sweeps across Ecuador after gang leader Macias ‘escapes from prison’

Soldiers patrol the perimeter of Inca prison during a state of emergency as a food vendor works on the sidewalk in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in the wake of the apparent escape of a powerful gang leader from prison. President Daniel Noboa decreed Monday a national state of emergency, a measure that lets authorities suspend people’s rights and mobilize the military in places like the prisons. The government also imposed a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuador has been rocked by a series of attacks, including explosions and the abduction of several police officers, after the government imposed a state of emergency in the wake of the apparent escape of a powerful gang leader from prison.

Police reported four officers had been kidnapped on Monday night and remained missing, one in the capital Quito and three in Quevedo city.