Mexico’s government ended diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy late Friday to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats.
Ecuadorian police broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges.
The raid prompted Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to announce the breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador Friday evening, while his government’s foreign relations secretary said the move will be challenged at the World Court in The Hague.
“This is not possible. It cannot be. This is crazy,” Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local press while standing outside the embassy right after the raid. “I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this. This is totally outside the norm.”
On Saturday, Glas was taken by armored vehicle from the attorney general’s office to an airport, where he boarded an aircraft for a flight to the port city of Guayaquil, 265 miles (425 kilometers) south of Quito. People who had gathered outside the prosecutor’s office yelled “strength” as the convoy of police and military vehicles moved off.
Ecuador’s corrections agency said Glas will remain in custody at a maximum-security facility in Guayaquil.
Authorities are investigating Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a powerful earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people. He was convicted on bribery and corruption charges in other cases.
The office of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa defended the raid in a statement, saying “Ecuador is a sovereign nation” that will not “allow any criminal to stay free.” López Obrador fired back, calling Glas’ detention an “authoritarian act” and “a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico.”
“You thought you were the devil, dude,” Cazzu sparks a stir with a brutal remark during her concert.
Robert Redford, magnetic Hollywood icon and Sundance founder, dies at 89
Cocaine Use Has Grown in the US, and “El Mencho” in the Mountains Is the Big Winner: WSJ
IMMIGRATION
Inside ICE Detention Centers: Why People Are Losing Hope
BUSINESS
Bill Gates on Fear, Leadership and How Entrepreneurs Can Turn Anxiety Into Innovation
Preparing for the Holiday Sales Rush: Logistics and E-commerce Strategy for Small Businesses
Crisis as a Catalyst: How Businesses Turn Setbacks into Opportunities
Tips on How Short-Form Video Can Transform Your Business Growth