A shooting at an international airport in Ecuador has left a notorious crime boss dead and flights temporarily suspended. The incident occurred at José Joaquín de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil on Wednesday evening.
Shootout Details
Officials confirmed that shortly after 6pm local time on June 17, a heavy shootout erupted near the airport entrance, resulting in several people being shot. One man was killed, identified as Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, a 39-year-old leader of the Los Águilas gang. The attack is believed to have been an assassination attempt.
Graphic footage circulating online shows the chaotic scene inside the terminal, with bystanders rushing to aid the injured. Another person was wounded and taken to hospital for treatment.
Suspects Arrested
Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed that two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were arrested at the scene, each in possession of a firearm. They were apprehended in the airport parking area and are believed to have acted with others.
Background
Villanueva had a lengthy criminal record, including charges of murder, illegal firearms possession, and organized crime. He had been imprisoned twice and was a suspect in three ongoing investigations. He had just landed at the airport with his wife when the gunmen targeted them.
The shooting comes just one day after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in ten provinces due to escalating gang violence. Ecuador has been under a nationwide state of emergency since 2024, approaching 1,000 consecutive days of official crisis.
Airport Lockdown
Flights in and out of the airport were temporarily suspended, and the area remains in lockdown, according to Ecuador's Home Secretary.
