Five journalists receive letter bombs,one exploded

Journalist from Ecuador’s private television station sustained injuries to his hands and face after a disk drive, which was sent to him by unknown assailants, exploded in his computer.

International media outlets reported that in the coastal city of Guayaquil, journalist Lenin Artide received an envelope containing a flash drive that exploded when he inserted it into a computer, leaving his hand and face injured, on Monday.

Later, Interior Minister Juan Zapata announced that letter bombs were sent to five journalists working in various television and radio stations in Ecuador.

The prosecution opened an investigation into what was called “the crime of terrorism”, without revealing the reason behind targeting news stations and journalists, or the party that is behind it.

According to the minister, another parcel, addressed to another journalist, was intercepted by the police at the courier company and did not reach its destination.

It was reported that a letter bomb was also sent to the offices of TC Ecuadorian television. But no further details were disclosed.

Zapata considered these movements as a clear message to silence journalists.

In turn, the Ecuadorean government expressed, in a statement, its categorical rejection of any form of violence against journalists and media outlets.

Ecuador is located between Colombia and Peru, the largest producer of cocaine in the world. It witnessed a rise in murder rate from 14 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021 to 25 per 100,000 in 2022.