Prisoners in Ecuador take 57 guards and police hostage as car bombs rock the capital

[Judi Lynn]

1. Dozens of prison officers freed after being taken hostage in Ecuador jails

By Ana María Cañizares, Marlon Sorto and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN
Published 6:32 AM EDT, Sat September 2, 2023

CNN
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Fifty prison guards and seven police officers have been freed after being taken hostage by inmates held in six prisons across Ecuador, authorities said, part of a coordinated protest against security operations being conducted inside the country’s violence-plagued penitentiaries.

The protests began on Thursday, according to Ecuador’s penitentiary service, the SNAI, hours after the military carried out a major operation involving more than 2,200 security personnel at prison in Latacunga, a city south of the capital, Quito.

The military said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was attempting to “control weapons, ammunition, and explosives” at the facility.

Inmates and their allies responded by taking hostages and, according to Ecuador’s Ministry of the Interior, setting off two car bombs in Quito on Thursday that targeted SNAI buildings, one of which is no longer in use by the agency. At least six people were arrested following the blasts, the ministry said.

The SNAI said on Saturday that all hostages had been freed following a “coordinated operation” and that prison was now running normally.

More:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/02/americas/ecuador-prison-guards-hostage-intl/index.html