Ecuadorian USB bomb attacks

The Ecuadorian USB bomb attacks occurred in March 2023 when boobytrapped USB drives were sent to Ecuadorian media.[1][2][3] One journalist was injured.[1][2]

Lenin Artieda suffered minor injuries when he plugged in a USB drive he had received at Ecuavisa in Guayaquil.[1][2] Police carried out a controlled explosion on a similar device sent to TC Televisión, also in Guayaquil.[1][2] Freedom of expression group said that a third media group had been attacked.[1][2] Teleamazonas said that one of their journalists had received an anonymous envelope with a device inside that police confirmed contained explosives.

Other devices sent via post either never exploded or were never opened.[1][2]

Two of the devices were found at media outlets in Guayaquil, two in Quito and one at a package delivery company.[3]

Reactions

The department of the attorney general of Ecuador confirmed that it had opened a terrorism investigation on 20 March 2023.[1][2]

According to interior minister Juan Zapata the letters were all sent from the same town, with three going to Guayaqil and two to Quito.[1][2]

The head of the forensic sciences services said the devices contained "military-type" explosives.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Radford, Antoinette (2023-03-21). "Journalist opens USB letter bomb in newsroom". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ecuadorian TV presenter wounded by bomb disguised as USB stick". The Guardian. 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  3. ^ a b Claburn, Thomas (2023-03-22). "Journalist hurt by exploding USB bomb drive". The Register. Retrieved 2023-03-30.