Ecuador Arrests Five For Alleged Assassination Attempt on President

Five people have been detained after an alleged attempted assassination of Ecuador’s president, according to the government.
About 500 people threw rocks at the car of President Daniel Noboa and there were “signs of bullet damage” on his vehicle, according to the country’s energy and environment minister, who added that Noboa was not hurt.
A video, shared with the BBC by the president’s office, shows protesters throwing rocks at a car, and three small holes in one of the car windows. The BBC has not independently confirmed that a bullet was fired.
Conaie, the country’s largest indigenous organisation which led a national strike, said “five of us have been arbitrarily detained”.
Noboa’s office said those arrested would be charged with offences of terrorism and attempted assassination.
The country has been rocked with violent clashes and protests for more than two weeks.
It started after Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, or Conaie, declared a national strike to protest the government ending diesel subsidies.
They have organised marches and roadblocks.
The government has defended ending the subsidy which it says will save $1.1bn a year that can be distributed to small-scale farmers and people in the transport sector.