“In several raids in the Conocoto sector and the south of the city, 6 subjects were apprehended: Andrés M., José N., Adey G., Camilo R., Jules C., Jhon R., all foreigners” Interior Minister Juan Zapata said at a press conference on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the commander of the National Police of Ecuador, assured that two of the detainees “were fully identified at the crime scene”.
The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, reported that a delegation from the FBI, a US government agency, will participate in the investigation with the aim of clarifying the case.
I have requested support from the FBI for the investigation of the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio Valencia. The US Federal Investigation and Intelligence Agency accepted our request and in the next few hours a delegation will arrive in the country.
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) August 10, 2023
International condemnations after the assassination of the candidate
International organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS), the United States (EU) and the European Union (EU) condemned the assassination of the presidential candidate.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that “The United States condemns this brazen act of violence and attack on Ecuadorian democracy“.
The adviser to the US president Joe Biden offered his condolences to the family of Villavicencio, who died when he was hit by several shots on Wednesday after a rally.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned on Thursday the “terrible murder” of the presidential candidate Ecuadorian Fernando Villavicencio and demanded that those responsible “be accountable” to safeguard democracy.
“It is important to urgently and fairly carry out a transparent, thorough and independent investigation to hold those responsible for this attack to account. Violence against political candidates is a serious threat to the electoral process and the ability of the population to express their will democracy,” Türk said in a statement.