Ecuador presidential candidate assassinated

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Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed on Wednesday evening during a campaign event in the north of the capital Quito, authorities said.

Local media reported some 30 shots had been fired, while video posted on social media showed Villavicencio getting into a car after the event, before the sound of apparent gunfire and screaming.

The attorney general's office said a suspect in the crime later died of injuries sustained in a shoot-out. The violence injured nine other people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers.

The office later said it had arrested six people so far in connection with the crime during raids in Quito.

"For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished," President Guillermo Lasso said on social media.

He said he would host top security officials at an urgent meeting.

(Cover: Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador, August 9, 2023. /Reuters)

Source(s): Reuters