mm-news-@dmin President Noboa’s car was met by enraged protesters throwing rocks amid outrage over fuel subsidy removal
- The energy minister calls it an assassination attempt.
- Signs of bullet damage on Noboa’s car, she says.
- Indigenous federation denounces police violence.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa escaped unharmed after a gun attack on his motorcade. When around 500 people surrounded his car and threw rocks. As he approached an event in Canar province, a top minister said. She added that officials found “signs of bullet damage” on the president’s vehicle.
Environment and Energy Minister Ines Manzano said on Tuesday. That she had formally filed a report of an assassination attempt against Noboa. She confirmed that the president was safe and that security forces had detained five people.
Noboa’s office announced that prosecutors would charge all the detainees with terrorism and attempted assassination. Reuters could not independently verify whether anyone had fired at the president’s car. During the protests over the government’s removal of fuel subsidies.
Speaking later at a student event in Cuenca — about 77 km (48 miles) south of the attack site — Noboa said his government would not tolerate such actions.
“Do not follow the bad example of those who tried to stop us from attending this event and who attempted to attack us,” he said. “Such attacks will not be accepted in the new Ecuador, and the law applies to everyone.”
Manzano condemned the assault after reporting it to prosecutors. “People who shoot at the president’s car, throw stones, and damage state property are criminals,” she said. “We will not allow this.”
However, the national Indigenous federation CONAIE said government forces had carried out “brutal police and military actions” against those who had mobilized for Noboa’s arrival, claiming that security personnel attacked elderly women.
CONAIE said in a post on X that police officers wearing body armour and black bandanas had arbitrarily detained at least five of its members and shared a video showing four officers escorting a woman in traditional dress.
Protests Against the Decree
CONAIE launched a strike 16 days ago, organizing marches and blocking roads to protest the government’s decision to end diesel subsidies. Critics have urged further dialogue, warning that the move will raise living costs, especially for small-scale farmers and Indigenous communities.
Noboa signed the executive decree eliminating subsidies in mid-September and declared emergency measures in several provinces to maintain order.
The government defended the decision, saying it would save about $1.1 billion annually, funds it has already started redistributing as compensation to small farmers and transport workers.
Noboa, who won reelection in April, has repeatedly granted emergency powers to the armed forces and police as part of his tough-on-crime approach.
Defence Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo shared a photo of the 37-year-old president standing beside his damaged car, wearing sunglasses.
“Nothing stops this president, and that’s the best sign that the country won’t stop either,” he said.
A video from inside a car published by the presidency showed people throwing rocks at the roadside and cracks on the vehicle’s windows. Another image showed a car with smashed windows and a badly cracked windscreen.
Officials said protesters plan to march against Noboa’s government in Quito on Tuesday at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT).
