Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Thursday declared a state of emergency after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, known for speaking up against corruption, was shot and killed Wednesday at a political rally in the capital amid a wave of startling violence in the South American country, APA reports citing France 24.
Lasso suggested organised crime was behind Villavicencio's slaying, less than two weeks before the August 20 presidential election .
“I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” Lasso said in a statement. “Organised crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law.”
Prior to the shooting, Villavicencio said he had received multiple death threats, including from leaders of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, one of a slew of international organised crime groups that now operate in Ecuador.
Villavicencio was one of eight candidates, though not the frontrunner. The politician, 59, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement.
Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said a suspect in the assassination of Villavicencio died of injuries after being arrested by authorities.
Violence in Ecuador, a historically calm country, has surged in the past year as drug traffickers have flocked to the South American nation, resulting in a concerning uptick in drug trafficking, violent killings and child recruitment by gangs.
Videos on social media appear to show the candidate walking out of the event surrounded by guards. The video then shows Villavicencio getting into a white pickup truck before gunshots are heard, followed by screams and commotion around the truck. This sequence of events was confirmed to The Associated Press by Patricio Zuquilanda, Villavicencio’s campaign adviser.
*** 09:50
Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed on Wednesday evening during a campaign event in the north of the capital Quito, authorities said, APA reports citing Reuters.
Ecuador's police and Interior Ministry did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the details of the killing.
The attorney general's office said a suspect in the crime later died of injuries sustained in a shoot-out. The violence injured nine other people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers.
The office later said it had arrested six people so far in connection with the crime during raids in Quito.
"For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished," President Guillermo Lasso said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Organized crime have gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them."
Lasso's government has blamed rising violence on the streets and in prisons on criminal infighting to control trafficking routes used by Mexican cartels, the Albanian mafia and others to move drugs. He said he would host top security officials at an urgent meeting.
*** 03:39
A candidate in Ecuador's forthcoming presidential election has been shot dead at a campaign rally, APA reports citing BBC.
Fernando Villavicencio, a member of the country's national assembly, was attacked as he left the event in the northern city of Quito on Wednesday.
A member of his campaign team told local media Mr Villavicencio was getting into a car when a man stepped forward and shot him in the head.
Current president Guillermo Lasso vowed the "crime will not go unpunished".
Witnesses said Mr Villavicencio, 59, was shot three times.
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