Key facts
- Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, 39, identified as a leader of the Los Águilas gang, was killed in a shooting outside Guayaquil's airport.
- The Los Águilas gang has been designated a "terrorist organisation" by Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa.
- The gang is accused of involvement in drug trafficking and extortion.
- Two teenagers were detained in connection with the shooting.
- One bystander sustained injuries during the incident.
- President Noboa has declared states of emergency to combat widespread gang violence.
A suspected leader of the Los Águilas criminal gang was shot dead outside the arrivals terminal of José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Security footage captured two young men waiting with flowers and a stuffed toy before one approached the victim and shot him at point-blank range.
Police have detained two teenagers in connection with the daylight attack, which is the latest incident in a surge of gang violence plaguing the country. Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg identified the victim as 39-year-old Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, whom he described as the leader of the Los Águilas gang in El Triunfo. The Los Águilas gang was designated a "terrorist organisation" by President Daniel Noboa in 2024 and is implicated in drug trafficking and extortion.