The Minister of the Interior, Juan Zapata, said at a press conference that the foreign agents will meet with the police and the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office to determine the scope of collaboration and support and stressed that “the first step has been taken, finding the possible perpetrators materials”.
Six Colombians were arrested in the south of Quito as the alleged perpetrators of the violent act hours after the attack that also left nine wounded by gunshots, including three policemen.
Zapata added that the goal of the authorities “is to find the rest of the authors, intellectuals and other types of authors.”
The FBI agents arrived in Ecuador after an express request for collaboration made by Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso.
The murder occurred on Wednesday afternoon when Villavicencio was leaving a political rally at a school in the north of the capital and was ambushed by at least seven armed men, one of whom died when the agents guarding the candidate repelled the attack.
Villavicencio had at least 10% of voting intentions and was behind Luisa González, Otto Sonnenholzner and Yaku Pérez, the favorites for the presidential elections on August 20 when Ecuadorians will also elect 137 assembly members to complete the current term of government that ends in May 2025.
The Construye political movement, which was nominating the murdered politician, appointed Christian Zurita, a journalist and friend of Villavicencio, to occupy the presidential candidacy over the weekend. The National Electoral Council still has to verify if it meets the requirements demanded by law.
Some 13.45 million Ecuadorians are preparing to go to the polls in early elections after Lasso dissolved the Assembly in mid-May and shortened his own term when that body was prosecuting him with a view to removing him.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
