Ecuadorian police arrest six suspects in connection with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando

Ecuadorian police have apprehended six suspects and fatally shot one during a raid related to the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Authorities claim that all of the arrested individuals are Colombian nationals.

The six detainees have been identified as Andres M, Jose N, Eddy G, Camilo R, Jules C, and Jhon Rodriguez, as disclosed by Interior Minister Juan Zapata in a press conference on Thursday (Aug 10).

The police discovered a rifle, a submachine gun, four pistols, three grenades, four boxes of ammunition, two motorcycles, and a stolen vehicle in the possession of the group.

Villavicencio, who was 59 years old and a former journalist, was shot in the head three times after concluding a rally outside a high school in the capital, Quito.

This attack occurred just days before the commencement of the presidential election, which has been overshadowed by concerns about drug-related violence.

The motive behind the attack is yet to be determined, with Zapata stating that the officers are working to “uncover the motive of this crime and its masterminds,” according to BBC.

Interior Minister Juan Zapata emphasized to journalists, “The national police now have the first arrests of the alleged material authors of this abominable event and will employ all of their operative and investigative capacity to discover the motive of this crime and its intellectual authors.”

Villavicencio had been a vocal critic of organized crime and its alleged ties to government officials, making him one of the most outspoken candidates on the issues of crime and state corruption.

This incident marks the first assassination of a presidential candidate in Ecuador and occurred less than a month after the fatal shooting of the mayor of Manta port city during a public appearance.

President Guillermo Lasso, condemning the attack, attributed the death to “organized crime,” adding that the assassination was an attempt to disrupt the election.

Lasso revealed that the attackers had thrown a grenade into the street as a distraction during their escape attempt, but the grenade failed to explode.

Despite the national emergency, President Lasso confirmed that the voting would proceed as scheduled on August 20. Additionally, he announced that he has requested assistance from US federal agents in the investigation, with FBI agents expected to arrive soon.