Gunmen attack TV studio in Ecuador; panic during live telecast

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa ordered a military operation against the country's powerful criminal group after hooded gunmen attacked a television studio and gangsters threatened to kill security forces and civilians.

The escape from prison of Ecuador's most powerful criminal leader Jose Adolfo Macias created a security crisis. The gangsters declared "war", and a few hours later, Noboa declared the country to be in a state of "internal armed conflict"

Ecuador, long a peaceful haven between top cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, has seen violence erupt in recent years as rival gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels compete for control.

"I have ordered the armed forces to conduct military operations to neutralize these criminal groups," Noboa wrote on social media. His comments came as attackers armed with guns and grenades attacked TC Television's studios in the port city of Guayaquil, where amid gunfire a woman was heard saying: "Don't shoot, Please don't shoot."

The intruders threw the frightened people to the ground. When the studio lights were switched off, a man could be heard screaming in pain, even during this time the live telecast continued.

After about 30 minutes of chaos, officers were seen entering the studio before someone called out that they "had an injured colleague." Earlier on Tuesday, gangsters kidnapped police officers and tried to wreak havoc with explosives in several cities in response to the 60-day state of emergency and nightly curfew declared by Noboa.

Noboa, 36, was elected by the South American country in October after pledging to fight rampant drug-related crime and violence. This country was once considered a bastion of peace, but now it is silent on the cocaine trade from America and Europe. He vowed on Monday to bring the fight to the cartels after a powerful criminal gang leader, Jose Adolfo Macias, escaped jail the previous day.

Authorities reported several explosions and said that seven police officers had been abducted. A hair-raising video of this incident surfaced on social media. In the video, three of the kidnapped officers are shown sitting on the ground with guns pointed.