Berlin, Oct 9, (dpa/GNA) – A convoy including the car of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, was surrounded by around 500 people and pelted with stones on Tuesday, according to government reports.
Noboa was on his way to an event in the city of Cañar in central Ecuador, Energy Minister Inés Manzano said in a video posted on Instagram, adding that bullet holes were later found in the conservative president’s vehicle. He was uninjured.
The government posted a video on social media platform X that purported to show the attack from inside one of the vehicles, with people hurling large stones at the car and smashing its windows.
According to Manzano, five suspected attackers were arrested and accused of attempted murder and terrorism.
It was the second attack within a few weeks.
In late September, protesters near the northern city of Cotacachi attacked a convoy transporting humanitarian aid, led by Noboa and EU diplomats. Twelve soldiers were injured in the incident.
Since mid-September, various organizations in Ecuador have been staging protests, including roadblocks, against cuts to diesel subsidies and other government austerity measures.
Noboa, 37, has been president since 2023, and was re-elected in April.
One of his biggest challenges is rampant crime, as powerful drug gangs expand their activities in what was once a relatively safe country. Large quantities of cocaine are smuggled via Pacific ports primarily to Europe and Asia.
GNA