Police warned
The bomb went off when the TV anchor inserted the USB stick
Police in Ecuador are investigating the attacks on several media organizations. This was after a USB stick exploded and a journalist was injured.
Updated
After attacks on several television stations in Ecuador, police raided the Ecuavisa newsroom.
AFP
A bomb disguised as a USB stick exploded there, injuring referee Lenin Artida.
Twitter/Paul Tutiven Fuentes
At least four news organizations in the country have received such USB bombs.
AFP
According to the police, the USB sticks are loaded with military explosives.
AFP
It is not known who sent the USB bombs. The police are investigating on the suspicion that he may be a terrorist.
AFP
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USB bombs have been received by several news organizations in Ecuador.
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A TV presenter inserted one of the memory sticks and it exploded.
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Police said he sustained injuries on his face and hands.
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Authorities are currently investigating the terrorists.
Shortly before 8:30 a.m., Lenin Ortida opened a yellow envelope in the offices of the Ecuadorian television station Eguiza. Inside was a nondescript USB stick and a note. The presenter, returning from paternity leave that day, inserted the memory stick into a computer: an explosion immediately occurred. It’s a USB bomb. Ecuador is between Colombia and PeruTwo The world’s largest producers of cocaine.
According to the police, the explosion in the newsroom of the station in Guayaquil caused minor injuries to the face and hands of the TV presenter. Later, the assessee was informed by his employer that he was fine. No one else was injured. According to the newspaper “El Universo”, the journalist was taken to safety after the attack.
USB Bomb: How It’s Built
The attack on Artida was not an isolated case. According to the police, such USB bombs have been received in at least four newsrooms in the country. According to Interior Minister Juan Zapata, one of them was intercepted by a courier service. Xavier Sango, head of the Police Forensic Institute, said the USB sticks contained 5 volts of explosive power. The military bomb RTX is said to have been used. It is currently being studied in the laboratory. All the seized consignments contained identical explosives.
The USB bomb was like this.
Basic media
According to Sango, the explosive device is designed to detonate when plugged into a USB port because it carries electricity. Sango explained that since only half of Artida’s ammunition had detonated, it might have been spared major damage.
Here is Guayaquil
In recent years, Ecuador has become a center in the world drug trade. Guayaquil is one of the most dangerous cities in Ecuador. There are frequent violent clashes between rival gangs along smuggling routes. Violence against journalists has already occurred recently in Ecuador: last year, an RTS television broadcast was the target of a gun attack. In 2020, a bomb exploded near Teleamazonas. AFP
Terrorism is suspected
The state attorney’s office did not provide any information on who could be behind the mailings or how the media outlets were selected. However, the government prosecutor has announced that investigations are being carried out on suspicion of terrorism.
A USB bomb exploded here, injuring a TV presenter.
According to Fundamedios, which campaigns for press rights, the USB memory stick contained information about Correismo, a political movement named after former president Rafael Correa. According to Fundamedios, the mailings represent “a new escalation of violence against the press” and the government “must intervene immediately”.
With content from AFP.
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