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Five detained after an alleged assassination attempt on President Daniel Noboa; unrest grows as CONAIE condemns police action amid protests over diesel subsidy cuts in Ecuador.
Ecuador President Daniel Noboa (Reuters)
Five people were detained following an alleged assassination attempt on Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, energy minister Ines Manzano said.
CNN quoted the minister as saying that Noboa’s car was surrounded by a group of around 500 people throwing rocks as he traveled in a convoy to Cañar province, where he was scheduled to announce a set of infrastructure projects.
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“Shooting at the president’s car, throwing stones, damaging state property – that’s just criminal,” he said. “We will not allow this.”
Later signs of bullet damage were found on the car though the President was not hurt.
The authorities informed that those detained will face terrorism and attempted murder charges.
Reuters quoted the national Indigenous federation CONAIE as saying that 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”.
“At least five of us have been arbitrarily detained,” it said in a post on X, which included a video of a woman in traditional dress being marched off by four police officers in body armor, their faces covered by black bandanas.
This comes amid unrest in Ecuador after the government announced that it would end a subsidy on diesel to reduce public spending.
In recent weeks, demonstrators led mostly by Ecuador’s Indigenous community have blocked roads and clashed with security forces, with one incident a week ago leaving one civilian dead and several injured, CNN reported.
During the weekend, the government declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces, citing “serious internal unrest”.
According to CNN, this was not the first time a convoy carrying Noboa has been attacked. In September, roughly 350 people attacked a motorcade carrying the president and diplomats during a protest in Imbabura province.
Ecuador
October 08, 2025, 04:53 IST
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