Ecuador: two men arrested for the death of a prosecutor investigating the attack on 'TC Televisión'

First modification: 01/18/2024 – 19:25

3 min

Investigations are advancing into the murder of prosecutor César Suárez, the latest in a series of violent events that shake Ecuador.

The authorities reported on January 18 that they arrested two men who allegedly participated in the crime. Is about two alleged members of the criminal group 'Los Chone Killer'.

One of those captured would have been in charge of driving the vehicle from which Suárez was riddled with gunshots and the other would have shot the victim with a rifle, according to General Víctor Herrera, who told the press. police chief of zone 8, which includes the city of Guayaquil, where the murder occurred, and the surrounding cantons of Durán and Samborondon.

“The hypothesis that the National Police handles is that these criminals would belong to the terrorist group Chone Killers. The motivation (of the crime) is still under investigation,” Herrera said.

The suspects, detained during a series of raids hours after the crime, were seized with a rifle, two pistols, feeders and two vehicles, the uniformed officer added.

However, the Police are still on the trail of two other men who, according to investigations, were in the back of the vehicle that was used to commit the murder.

The criminals abandoned and set fire to that car in a neighborhood of Guayaquil and later boarded a taxi and a motorcycle to escape, Herrera added.

Prosecutor Suárez was in charge of investigating the armed invasion on January 9 of the local channel 'TC Televisión', whose images of hooded men threatening the technical and journalistic team with weapons went around the world.

The 12 men who participated in that attack were detained and Suárez had recently questioned them.

The prosecutor was without police protection

César Suárez was murdered inside his vehicle, while he was on his way to a hearing in a drug trafficking case and did not have police protection.

“The prosecutor, according to the cameras, left the Judicial Police at 12:52 and entered his home at 12:56. Unfortunately, during that transfer he had not requested accompaniment because it was close to his home,” he commented. . That's why He also had no protection on the way between your home and the judicial unit, detailed General Víctor Herrera.

On January 10, President Daniel Noboa signed Decree 112 that provides protection for the senior officers of the Strategic Security Cabinet, which extends to spouses and children.

However, according to the victim's relatives, the protection did not extend to the prosecutor in one of the most violent areas of the country.

A woman, a relative of Suárez, confirmed that the official did not have an escort. The victim's relative also denounced that the official “was sold” by stating that just moments before the crime he received an emergency call to go to a place that she did not want to reveal.

“They deceive him to take his life (…) I ask for Justice, he is a prosecutor who only contributed good things to this society wanting to seek justice, investigating very important cases, like that of 'TC Televisión',” he highlighted.

Read also“With the 'internal armed conflict' not only security was militarized, but also society”

This crime occurred in the midst of the state of emergency and after the declaration of “armed internal conflict,” as well as the designation of 22 groups as terrorists by President Daniel Noboa, in response to a wave of murders, prison riots, explosions and other violent events, linked to drug trafficking gangs that plague the country.

With EFE and local media