The Cabinet of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa on Wednesday denounced protesters who threw rocks at his motorcade, calling it an assassination attempt, as investigators remained silent about Tuesday’s attack.
Late Wednesday, however, Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office announced that a judge had declared the arrest of five suspects illegal and ordered their release.
The office said on the social platform X that the judge’s decision kept it from bringing charges against them.
Noboa declared a state of emergency Sunday across 10 provinces after the removal of a fuel subsidy triggered two weeks of anti-government demonstrations organized by Ecuador’s largest Indigenous group.
Diesel prices have since risen from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon.
The past three administrations have only succeeded in a minimal fuel price hike after weeks of protests followed by negotiations with Indigenous groups.
Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo told a local news program Wednesday: “The level of aggression with which they attacked the caravan shows that this was a clear assassination attempt and an act of terrorism against the (president).”
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, the protests’ organizers, said that the presidential motorcade had entered a place where they knew there were protesters “to justify their war policy,” and that the administration is responding to legitimate demands with force.
The group also called on international human rights organizations to remain vigilant.
Defense attorney Yaku Pérez, who represented the five people arrested after the attack, told the AP that “there’s no way to tie” them to what happened. “Their innocence has been confirmed.”
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday condemned the violence against Noboa’s motorcade, and expressed deep concern “about the situation amid ongoing protests,” while calling for an end to all violence and an inclusive dialogue to resolve differences peacefully, said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
Footage from the town of El Tambo, 240 miles south of the capital Quito, showed protesters throwing rocks as the motorcade passed on Tuesday.
The road could be seen littered with large chunks of concrete and stones. The five arrested are yet to be arraigned.
Energy minister, Inés Manzano, claimed Tuesday there were bullet markings on Noboa’s motorcade vehicles. No investigating authority has so far confirmed her claim.
After arriving at an event Tuesday, Noboa urged those listening to “not follow bad examples, such as those who sought to prevent us from being here with you today and attempted to attack us. Such attacks are not acceptable in the new Ecuador.”
The US State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on social platform X Wednesday that it condemned the attack.
“We stand with Ecuador as authorities investigate and ensure accountability, and stand against all forms of political violence,” the post said.
Last week, a violent clash between police and Indigenous protesters over fuel price hikes left one civilian dead and several injured.
Police detained nearly 100 people, while some protesters briefly held several military personnel before releasing them.
Noboa won his first presidency with the support of many Indigenous communities that now protest his government, including in provinces like Cañar, where Tuesday’s attack occurred.
He counted much on their support again when he was reelected this year.
