Ecuadorian journalist reveals terrifying threats hooded gang made as they held gun to his neck after storming TV studio while live on air

  • Post category:news
  • Reading time:7 min(s) read

  • Jose Luis Calderon was brought in front of the camera by masked gunmen
  • They threatened to kill him if police officer showed up 
  • He said they put improvised explosives in his jacket pocket 

An Ecuadorian journalist who was live on air as hooded gunmen rushed a TV studio has revealed that they stuffed his jacket with an improvised explosive and threatened to kill him if police arrived.

Jose Luis Calderon was in TC network’s studios in Guayaquil on Tuesday night when masked gunmen, spurred on by the wave of gang crime that has put Ecuador on its knees, burst into the studio. 

He was seen calmly speaking as a gunman held a shotgun to his throat. 

Calderon told Sky News: ‘They kept on repeating, “if the police come in, we’ll kill you”.

‘It was a really chaotic moment, but in that instant, I kept my calm.

Jose Luis Calderon (pictured) told Sky News: 'They kept on repeating, 'if the police come in, we'll kill you''

Jose Luis Calderon (pictured) told Sky News: ‘They kept on repeating, ‘if the police come in, we’ll kill you”

Calderon was in TC network's studios in Guayaquil on Tuesday night when masked gunmen, spurred on by the wave of gang crime that has put Ecuador on its knees, burst into the studio

Calderon was in TC network’s studios in Guayaquil on Tuesday night when masked gunmen, spurred on by the wave of gang crime that has put Ecuador on its knees, burst into the studio

LIVEREAD MORE: Ecuador unrest: At least 10 dead and more taken hostage by cartels as President orders brutal crackdown

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‘There was no explanation about what was happening at that moment.

‘The news programme was on air and that’s why you were able to see the footage. You could see what was happening when they pointed a gun at me, they put an explosive in my jacket pocket.

‘They were really unnerving moments, but at the same time, I managed to stay calm.’

He and two colleagues hid in a nearby bathroom, upon hearing people shouting when the gunmen burst into the studio. 

‘We managed to speak to our relatives and warn the police about what was happening without knowing the exact details of what was going on and who was behind it.

Ecuadorian soldiers stand guard during a security patrol at the Ecuador-Colombia border, in Tulcan, Ecuador

Ecuadorian soldiers stand guard during a security patrol at the Ecuador-Colombia border, in Tulcan, Ecuador

Ecuadorian Marine Corps personnel guard the entrance to the Deprivation of Liberty Center Regional Guayas where notorious gang leader Adolfo Macias Salazar, nicknamed 'Fito', escaped

Ecuadorian Marine Corps personnel guard the entrance to the Deprivation of Liberty Center Regional Guayas where notorious gang leader Adolfo Macias Salazar, nicknamed ‘Fito’, escaped

cuadorian soldiers search a man during an operation to control and search for weapons and to enforce the curfew in Quito, Ecuador, 14 January 2024

cuadorian soldiers search a man during an operation to control and search for weapons and to enforce the curfew in Quito, Ecuador, 14 January 2024

Ecuador's attorney general's office said 13 were arrested for breaking into the TV studio, an are set to be charged with terror offences

Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said 13 were arrested for breaking into the TV studio, an are set to be charged with terror offences

Relatives of prison officials held hostage by inmates wait for their loved one's release, outside Machala prison, in Machala, Ecuador, on January 13, 2024

Relatives of prison officials held hostage by inmates wait for their loved one’s release, outside Machala prison, in Machala, Ecuador, on January 13, 2024

‘They made threats constantly. My colleagues were touched inappropriately.

‘They led us to the studio, which was still live on air. When we arrived, just metres away there were colleagues, people working for the channel who were on the floor, very worried, on their knees, and they took us hostage.’

Police eventually arrived, and began shooting at the armed group, who dispersed and were later arrested. 

‘I’ve covered events like this, and I’ve seen tragic events – but I’ve never been part of one,’ Calderon said. 

Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said 13 were arrested for breaking into the TV studio, an are set to be charged with terror offences. 

Members of the armed forces of Ecuador search people stopped on the street during a security operation in the neighborhood La Lucha de los Pobres

Members of the armed forces of Ecuador search people stopped on the street during a security operation in the neighborhood La Lucha de los Pobres

Citizens provide food and drink to members of the Armed Forces of Ecuador who stand guard in front of Litoral Penitentiary against possible attacks by criminal groups as the state of emergency continues

Citizens provide food and drink to members of the Armed Forces of Ecuador who stand guard in front of Litoral Penitentiary against possible attacks by criminal groups as the state of emergency continues

Inmates lie on the floor after Ecuador's police and armed forces freed prison staff members who had been held hostage by the prisoners

Inmates lie on the floor after Ecuador’s police and armed forces freed prison staff members who had been held hostage by the prisoners

Soldiers stand outside the Zonal 8 prison, from where Jose Adolfo Macias alias "Fito" disappeared almost a week ago

Soldiers stand outside the Zonal 8 prison, from where Jose Adolfo Macias alias “Fito” disappeared almost a week ago

Prison staff members, who had been held hostage by inmates, sit together after they were freed by Ecuador's police and armed forces at a jail, in Ambato, Ecuador

Prison staff members, who had been held hostage by inmates, sit together after they were freed by Ecuador’s police and armed forces at a jail, in Ambato, Ecuador

READ MORE: How ruthless cartels are leaving a bloody trail of destruction in battle for supremacy – as Ecuador spirals out of control in ‘civil war’

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If convicted, each of the gunmen could be imprisoned for up to 13 years. 

Violence erupted across the country this week after drug lord, Adolfo Macias – also known as Fito – was reported missing from his cell last Sunday. 

The leader of the Los Choneros gang was serving a 34-year sentence behind bars in La Regional prison, and was due to be transferred to a maximum security facility in Guayaquil on the day of his escape. 

He was reportedly tipped off about the transfer. Ecuadorian prosecutors have filed charges against two prison guards as part of their investigation into the escape. 

Fito’s location is still unknown, and the country was driven to a civil war, with terrified citizens resorting to taking up arms in an attempt to defend themselves, according to various reports on social media, as Ecuador’s military and armed police battle with gangs in the streets who are torching cars and conducting executions in broad daylight.

Violence erupted across the country this week after drug lord, Adolfo Macias - also known as Fito - was reported missing from his cell last Sunday

Violence erupted across the country this week after drug lord, Adolfo Macias – also known as Fito – was reported missing from his cell last Sunday

Fito's location is still unknown, and the country was driven to a civil war, with terrified citizens resorting to taking up arms in an attempt to defend themselves

Fito’s location is still unknown, and the country was driven to a civil war, with terrified citizens resorting to taking up arms in an attempt to defend themselves

Ecuadorian soldiers pat down people during an operation to control and search for weapons and to enforce the curfew in Quito, Ecuador

Ecuadorian soldiers pat down people during an operation to control and search for weapons and to enforce the curfew in Quito, Ecuador

Today, all 136 hostages seized during prison riots in Ecuador were freed on Saturday night, prison authorities said

Today, all 136 hostages seized during prison riots in Ecuador were freed on Saturday night, prison authorities said

Today, all 136 hostages seized during prison riots in Ecuador were freed on Saturday night, prison authorities said.

‘Security protocols and the joint work of the police and the national army enabled the release of all the hostages who were being held in various prisons across the country,’ the SNAI prison authorities said in a statement on X.

President Daniel Noboa celebrated their release.

‘Congratulations to the patriotic, professional and courageous work of the armed forces, national police and the SNAI (…) for achieving the release of the prison guards and administrative staff held in the detention centers of Azuay, Canar, Esmeraldas, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, El Oro and Loja,’ Noboa wrote on X.

Police said 46 guards and one civil servant were released from the Cotopaxi prison, 13 from Tungurahua prison, and 15 others from El Oro prison, where the body of a civil servant was found.

Police said 46 guards and one civil servant were released from the Cotopaxi prison, 13 from Tungurahua prison, and 15 others from El Oro prison, where the body of a civil servant was found

Police said 46 guards and one civil servant were released from the Cotopaxi prison, 13 from Tungurahua prison, and 15 others from El Oro prison, where the body of a civil servant was found

An explosives expert checks a bag prior to a visit by President Daniel Noboa on TC Television channel in Guayaquil

An explosives expert checks a bag prior to a visit by President Daniel Noboa on TC Television channel in Guayaquil

Members of a special motorized unit of the National Police participate in a manhunt after the escape of several prisoners from the Litoral penitentiary in Guayaquil

Members of a special motorized unit of the National Police participate in a manhunt after the escape of several prisoners from the Litoral penitentiary in Guayaquil

Local residents prepare to be frisked by police officers

Local residents prepare to be frisked by police officers

Images broadcast by the police showed the guards, many in tears, exhausted and supported by their colleagues shortly after their release.

During their ordeal, the hostages had often begged authorities for help via videos posted on social media.

At least two hostages were killed by the inmates, one of them hanged, according to the videos.

Nearly 180 prison guards and civil servants were taken hostage by the end of last week, with 41 freed earlier.

The prison workers were taken hostage after Noboa launched a military takedown of criminal groups this week, sparking a deadly confrontation with narco gangs in the South American nation.

The crisis was triggered by the escape from Guayaquil prison of one of the country’s most powerful narco bosses, Jose Adolfo Macias, known by the alias ‘Fito,’ triggering riots in at least five prisons and attacks on security forces aimed at spreading terror.

More than 22,400 military personnel were deployed across the country and in prisons, while a nightly curfew was imposed.