Five people have been arrested in Ecuador after what authorities described as an assassination attempt on President Daniel Noboa, according to the country’s Energy Minister, Ines Manzano.
Manzano said the president’s convoy was attacked on its way to Cañar province, where Noboa was scheduled to unveil a series of infrastructure projects.
His car was surrounded by about 500 people who hurled rocks as the motorcade passed. Although the vehicle later showed signs of bullet damage, Noboa escaped unharmed.
A video released by the Ecuadorian presidency shows hundreds of people lining both sides of the road, waving their arms and shouting as the convoy approached.
Some are seen throwing stones, shattering vehicle windows, while a frightened voice can be heard urging passengers to duck.
Authorities said the five detained suspects will face terrorism and attempted murder charges.
“Shooting at the president’s car, throwing stones, damaging state property – that’s just criminal,” Manzano said Tuesday after formally filing a report of an assassination attempt against Noboa, according to Reuters. “We will not allow this.”
This is not the first attack on a convoy carrying President Noboa. In September, around 350 people ambushed a motorcade transporting the president and diplomats during protests in Imbabura province, using fireworks, molotov cocktails, and rocks, officials said.
The recent wave of unrest in Ecuador stems from the government’s decision to end a diesel subsidy, a move aimed at cutting public spending, tackling fuel smuggling, and redirecting funds toward social programs.
The policy has triggered widespread demonstrations, largely led by Indigenous groups, who have blocked roads and clashed with security forces. A protest last week left one civilian dead and several others injured.
While the presidency accuses “terrorist groups” of infiltrating the protests, demonstrators say the government is using excessive force to silence dissent.
Indigenous leaders have also condemned what they describe as unchecked mining and oil exploration on ancestral lands.
Following Tuesday’s attack, the national Indigenous confederation CONAIE accused the government of brutality toward demonstrators, alleging in a post on X that the detained individuals were peaceful protesters who, along with elderly women, were victims of a “brutal police and military action.”
Over the weekend, the government declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces affected by protests, citing “serious internal unrest.”
While the decree restricts certain activities, it does not ban peaceful demonstrations. Most of the affected regions are home to large Indigenous populations.
President Noboa, however, remains firm on his stance.
“Those who choose violence will face the law. Those who act like criminals will be treated as criminals,” the president said Sunday on X.
