Ecuadorian Prosecutor Murdered in Possible Retaliatory Attack

An Ecuadorian prosecutor alongside a police officer assigned to protect him were murdered on Friday in what authorities theorize could have been a retaliatory attack for accusations made against criminal groups..Another Murdered AuthorityThe attack took place as the prosecutor, identified as Marcelo Vásconez, and his guard, Ismael Moreno, were leaving the prosecutor’s office in Manta, Manabí Province. The attackers reportedly began shooting from a vehicle and ultimately killed the pair despite efforts from both Moreno and nearby police officers who returned fire on the killers.Vásconez was a prosecutor who specialized in transnational and international crime, granting further credence to theories that the murder was a retaliatory attack by criminal syndicates active within Ecuador. The prosecutor has previously worked on several cases related to organized crime, including the murder of two government officials, prosecutor Luz Marina Delgado and Agustín Intriago, the mayor of Manta prior to his assassination on July 24, 2023. The assassins of both Intriago and Delgado have since been arrested, with those behind both murders likely being linked to organized crime in Ecuador."It could be a retaliation for the accusations I had made against terrorist groups," Renan Miller, the commander of the police zone in Manabí, told the press regarding the murder of Vásconez.No arrests in connection to the murder of Vásconez have yet been made as authorities continue their investigation into the murder..Ecuador’s Security CrisisThe murder of Vásconez comes amid an ongoing security crisis within Ecuador that has been ongoing since the escape of infamous leader of Los Choneros, Jose "Fito" Macias, in January 2024. Following Fito’s escape, President Daniel Noboa announced a national state of emergency in an attempt to apprehend the fugitive, mobilizing the military and establishing a curfew. Following the escape and subsequent mobilization, riots broke out in prisons located in El Oro, Loja, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Azuay, and Pichincha, where 177 prison guards were taken hostage by prisoners. Ecuadorian police freed those held captive in late January. After the outbreak of violence, President Noboa issued a presidential decree that recognized "the existence of an internal armed conflict," classifying the gangs as terrorist organizations..Since then, Ecuadorian authorities have stepped up their operations in an effort to address the country's abysmal security situation, launching international raids against criminal elements and capturing key leaders of the numerous gangs active within Ecuador.In order to facilitate these large-scale security operations across Ecuador, Noboa announced the start of construction for a new super prison known as El Encuentro, which is set to cost Ecuador $52 million dollars and will hold an estimated 800 of the country's most dangerous criminals who are more likely to escape confinement. During the announcement of the start of the project, Noboa claimed that Ecuador's prison system had been "hijacked" by criminal elements who had turned the nation's prisons into their "centers of operations."The new prison boasts numerous high-tech security systems that are intended to limit the power those confined in the new prison may exert over staff and visitors, as leaders of criminal organizations have historically had the ability to control their criminal outfits through coercion of prison staff and the visitation of fellow gang members and family to carry out orders from ringleaders. This increased surveillance will also ensure that prisoners will no longer enjoy a number of luxuries such as those enjoyed by the Fito, who was discovered to have had a minifridge, queen-size bed, and other luxurious accommodations in his cell following his escape from prison in January..While many believe Ecuador’s current security crisis was instigated by Fito’s escape and the government’s subsequent reaction, others have pointed to a sweeping corruption probe launched by Attorney General Diana Salazar known as the 'Metastasis Case' which has resulted in the conviction of numerous government officials across Ecuador.This theory regarding the birth of Ecuador’s security crisis largely revolves around a statement from Salazar herself, who claimed that the investigation would lead to "an escalation of violence" from criminal organizations due to those under investigation having close ties to criminal groups in the country.