2 Suspects Of Attacking Ecuador TV Station Arrested In Spain

UNSPLASH/ev ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Ecuadorian police said two suspected leaders of a criminal group involved in a TV station raid earlier this year were arrested in an operation in Spain.

"Komandan Willy", suspected of being the leader of Los Tiguerones, and his brother Alex, believed by authorities as the second person in the criminal group, was arrested in a joint operation with Spanish Guardia Civil," Ecuadorian police said.

Ecuadorian authorities did not list the names of the families when naming suspects in active criminal cases, but local media called them William and Alex Alcivar.

Police said the two men were accused of installing car bombs, committing contract killings, extortion and live broadcast attacks that were notorious at TC television studios in Guayaquil, the largest city on the coast of Ecuador's Pacific, in January this year.

During the raid, which was broadcast nationwide for about 20 minutes, viewers watched 13 gunmen, grenades andmen, accompanying staff curled up on the floor. The police then rescued the staff and arrested the men.