Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa escaped unhurt on Tuesday after his motorcade came under attack by stone-throwing protesters and what officials described as gunfire during a public event in the central part of the country.
The president was inaugurating a water treatment plant when the convoy was surrounded by demonstrators protesting against rising fuel prices.
“About 500 people showed up and were throwing stones at him, and there are obviously bullet marks on the president’s car as well,” Environment Minister Ines Manzano told reporters.
She said five suspects had been arrested and would face terrorism charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
A video released by the government and reportedly filmed from inside the motorcade shows protesters blocking the road, waving flags, and hurling stones and bricks at the vehicles.
The incident occurred amid a wave of nationwide demonstrations sparked by the government’s decision to raise diesel prices. Protesters have blocked roads, gone on strike, and briefly abducted 16 soldiers, who were later released unharmed.
Ecuador’s largest Indigenous organisation reported on Sunday that one protester was killed by security forces during the unrest, while more than 100 people, including demonstrators and police officers, have been injured.
In response to the escalating violence, President Noboa has declared a state of emergency in several provinces.
