Who was Cesar Suarez? Lead prosecutor investigating Ecuadorian TV station attack assassinated

Cesar Suarez, the lead prosecutor responsible for investigating the attack on an Ecuadorian TV station, was assassinated on January 17, 2024, in Guayaquil, reported by Ecuador's Attorney General Diana Salazar.

Suarez, a respected figure in the legal system, was at the forefront of the inquiry into a dramatic live broadcast armed on an Ecuadoran television station last week.

Local media has broadcasted images of Suarez's truck with bullet holes in it through the driver's window. He was shot in the port city of Guayaquil, which is the nerve center of Ecuador's war against narco gangs.

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Who was Cesar Suarez?

Cesar Suarez, the chief prosecutor, was a dynamic young member of the legal community. In Guayas province, the most violent region of the nation, he primarily focused on cases involving organized transnational crime.

According to CNN affiliate Ecuavisa, Mr. Suarez was the front person for the leading case of the storming of the local network TC Television by armed men, and their faces were covered. It all happened in the live broadcast on January 9, 2024.

Security forces actively arrested 13 assailants. It is reported that most of them were teenagers. Reportedly, the reason for this increase in violence is that the country has become a central place for sending cocaine to other parts of the world.

Last week, Ecuador's government reportedly declared war against the powerful drug gangs, resulting in the threat of killing civilians by drug goons. Moreover, the wave of attack did attack 20 people, and they died on the spot.

As a safety precaution, President Daniel Noboa asked 22,000 security forces to be on the streets to maintain safety standards and search for the members of the drug gang.

The Ecuadorian Presidency said in a statement on Wednesday that "the country's forces have carried out 20,849 operations against organized criminal groups and have arrested 1,975 suspects till January 9, 2024."

"The criminals, the terrorists, will not hold back our commitment to Ecuadorian society," the country's attorney general, Diana Salazar, said in a video posted on X. She also expressed grief for Cesar Suarez and his family, she said,

"We call on the forces of order to guarantee the security of those who are carrying out their duties. My office was conducting a preliminary investigation at the site of the killing."

She further added,

"I am going to be emphatic, the organized criminal groups, criminals, terrorists will not stop our commitment to the Ecuadorian society, we will continue with more strength and commitment. We have to be clear; this atrocious event brings with it a message towards the work we are carrying out through justice in Ecuador."

The Council of the Judiciary stated that "he condemns the attack on Cesar Suarez. He was heading to court for the hearing."

According to Reuters, investigation police noted that the hallmarks of the killing were assassination. The victim initially sustained several gunshots, but soon after excessive bleeding, Suarez died on the spot.