Gunmen have killed a senior crime boss at an airport in Ecuador, according to government officials. The attack took place just after 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 17, at José Joaquín de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil.
Chilling Attack at Airport Terminal
Chilling footage circulating online shows the interior of the airport terminal as members of the public rushed to help those injured after the gunmen opened fire. One clip captured the normally busy international terminal turning into a scene of a heavy shootout with several people shot.
The gang leader was killed near the entrance. His identity has been confirmed by Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg, who stated that the deceased was the boss of the notorious Los Águilas crime gang.
Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, a 39-year-old Ecuadorian national, was the leader of Los Águilas in the El Triunfo region and was considered a high-risk, priority criminal target, Reimberg said.
Lengthy Criminal Record
Villanueva had an extensive criminal record, including charges of murder, illegal firearms possession, and organized crime. He had been imprisoned twice and was a suspect in three ongoing police investigations, the minister added.
Another person was wounded in the attack and taken to hospital for treatment. Villanueva had just landed at the Guayaquil airport, the epicenter of Ecuador's ongoing crime crisis, when he and his wife were targeted by the gunmen.
Arrests Made
Ecuador's Interior Minister also confirmed that security officials arrested two teenagers at the scene, each in possession of a firearm. The boys, aged 15 and 16, are believed not to have acted alone. They were apprehended in the airport's parking area.
The shooting comes just one day after the South American nation declared a state of emergency for 10 provinces due to a surge in gang violence and organized crime. Flights in and out of the airport were temporarily suspended, and the area remains in lockdown.
This brazen hit occurred only a day after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared another state of emergency across the nation. It has become a signature move of his government as Ecuador approaches 1,000 consecutive days under an official nationwide crisis. The country-wide state of emergency, initially set in place in 2024, was implemented in response to escalating gang violence across Ecuador.
