Ecuador's president Daniel Noboa came out unharmed after his official motorcade was targeted by stone-throwing demonstrators and what authorities described as potential shots.
Noboa was opening a water purification facility in central Ecuador when his motorcade was attacked by a sizeable crowd demonstrating against rising energy costs.
About 500 people showed up and were throwing stones at him, and there are obviously bullet marks on the official vehicle
commented Ecuador's environment minister.
Authorities reported that five people were detained and would face court proceedings on terrorism charges – an crime carrying a maximum punishment of 30 years in jail.
Video footage made public by the government shows protesters positioned in the street, covered in flags, scrambling to gather sizeable rocks and bricks.
As the presidential SUV passed, objects slammed into the exterior and shattered glass.
Someone could be audible shouting: "Duck! Heads down!" as the vehicle accelerated from the scene.
Officials said they were still investigating whether certain of the damage on Noboa's protected vehicle were caused by bullet impacts.
The alleged attack occurred amid days of progressively aggressive demonstrations triggered by a government decision to increase diesel prices.
Demonstrators have gone on strike, blocked roads and taken 16 soldiers – who were subsequently released without injury.
The country's largest Indigenous organization stated that a protester had been fatally injured by armed forces during a the protests.
Over one hundred individuals, including demonstrators and law enforcement, are thought to have been hurt in the violence.
The president has imposed a emergency measures across multiple regions.
The presidential administration stated on digital platforms following the incident that "cowardly acts will not stop" the leader.
A senior official of the regional organization said that "such violent acts are an attack on democratic principles, peace, and the spirit of peaceful coexistence that must prevail in our nations."
The recently re-elected president is attempting to reduce diesel subsidies to save about one billion dollars in public expenditure, redirecting much of the savings to security funding.
The nation, once considered one of the region's safest countries, has experienced a significant increase in criminal activity in recent years.
Positioned between two neighboring countries, two of the world's largest cocaine producers, Ecuador has transformed into a significant transportation center for illegal drugs.
Authorities have accused cartels of fueling the protests, suggesting that illegal organizations are taking advantage of the demonstrations to destabilize the nation.
Reports indicate that seventy percent of the global illegal drug market transits via Ecuador, much of it destined for the United States.
The trade has attracted international criminal organizations, including Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Italy's 'Ndrangheta, and Albanian criminal networks.
The rivalry for dominance of trafficking routes has turned Ecuador into one of the area's highest-risk places.
The president has called for a public vote to allow the return of American military to the country, overturning a previous restriction on foreign bases.
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Margaret Crane
Margaret Crane
Margaret Crane
Margaret Crane
Margaret Crane