Journalists at three television stations in Ecuador received envelopes containing USB sticks filled with explosives this Monday (20), and one of them exploded in front of the reporter without causing serious injury, according to police and affected media.

Private broadcaster Ecuavisa warned that its journalist, Lenin Artieda, received an envelope containing a flash drive and that when he inserted it into a computer, “it exploded.”

A flash drive that was inserted into a computer exploded – Photo: Pixabay/ND

Artieda, who works in Guayaquil, southwest, “apparently suffered some problems in his arm and minor abrasions on his face, but nothing major,” Xavier Chango, national head of police forensics, told the press.

Guayaquil, one of Europe’s main export ports for cocaine, is the epicenter of violent disputes between drug gangs.

Journalists from TC Televisión (Guayaquil) and Teleamazonas (Quito) also received envelopes with flash drives containing explosives.

The State Ministry reported “the existence [um] envelope-bomb” of the state-owned broadcaster TC Televisión, while the private channel Teleamazonas reported that it received “a USB with the same characteristics” as Ecuavisa.

The NGO Fundamedios, which campaigns for freedom of the press in the country, explained that “the same method of action was used in the attacks.”

“Envelopes arrived labeled with the names of journalists Lenin Artieda from Ecuavisa, Mauricio Ayora from TC Televisión, Milton Perez from Teleamazonas. There was a flash drive inside the envelopes,” Fundamedios said in a statement.

The chief of police commented that the charge used in the device that exploded in Equavis could be “RDX”, a “military-type explosive”.

Police reported a possible fourth envelope containing explosives, but did not confirm this.

After the terrorist attacks, the deputy opened a criminal case on the crime of terrorism, for which the punishment is up to 13 years in prison.

The government, in turn, made itself known through a statement by the General Secretariat for Communications (Segcom). “The national government categorically rejects all types of violent acts committed against journalists and the media,” the note said.

The Standing Committee for the Protection of Human Rights of Guayaquil expressed concern about “attacks against journalists” in the context of the growing instability in the country.

Last year, the RTS channel was shelled, and in 2020, an artifact exploded in the premises of the Teleamazonas television company.

Ecuador is currently experiencing a massive wave of violence that has escalated with drug seizures. In addition, the violent death rate increased from 14 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021 to 25 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022.