Five people have been arrested following an alleged assassination attempt on Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, according to the country’s energy minister, Ines Manzano.
Noboa’s car was surrounded by a group of around 500 people throwing rocks as he travelled in a convoy to Cañar province, where he was scheduled to announce a set of infrastructure projects, the minister said Tuesday.
Signs of bullet damage were later found on the car, according to the minister, but Noboa was not hurt in the attack.
Authorities said those detained will face terrorism and attempted murder charges.
This is not the first time a convoy carrying Noboa has been attacked. In September, roughly 350 people attacked a motorcadecarrying the president and diplomats during a protest in Imbabura province, according to officials.
Authorities said the attackers ambushed the convoy with fireworks, Molotov cocktails and rocks.
The attacks come amid unrest in Ecuador sparked by the government saying it would end a subsidy on diesel to reduce public spending.
In recent weeks, demonstrators led mostly by Ecuador’s Indigenous community have blocked roads and clashed with security forces, with one incident a week ago leaving one civilian dead and several injured.
Protesters argue the government is violently repressing dissent over the new fuel policy.
At the weekend, the government declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces, citing “serious internal unrest.”
