INTERNACIONAL
Ecuador police arrest former VP in raid at Mexican embassy, prompting diplomatic severing, outcry
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday evening announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Ecuador following the arrest of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas.
Ecuadorian police late Friday broke through the external doors of the Mexican embassy in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, to arrest Glas, who had been residing there since December.
Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges.
«This is not possible. It cannot be. This is crazy,» Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local press while standing outside the embassy right after the raid, according to The Associated Press. «I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this. This is totally outside the norm.»
POLICE FIND 7 BODIES, 5 OF THEM DECAPITATED AND 1 DISMEMBERED, IN MEXICO’S FIFTH LARGEST CITY
Police break into the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/David Bustillos)
Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s secretary of foreign relations, on Friday posted on the social media platform X that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in.
Bárcena said Mexico would take the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, «to denounce Ecuador’s responsibility for violations of international law.» She also recalled Mexican diplomats.
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld on Saturday told reporters that the decision to enter the embassy was made by President Daniel Noboa after considering Glas’ «imminent flight risk» and exhausting all possibilities for diplomatic dialogue with Mexico. Mexico granted Glas asylum hours before the raid. Sommerfeld said that «it is not legal to grant asylum to people convicted of common crimes and by competent courts.»
Authorities are investigating Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a powerful earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people.
He was convicted of bribery and corruption charges in other cases.
The Organization of American States reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of their obligation not to «invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations.»
A military vehicle transports former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas from the detention center where he was held after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest him in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
The Spanish foreign ministry, in a statement Sunday, said, «The entry by force into the Embassy of Mexico in Quito constitutes a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We call for respect for international law and harmony between Mexico and Ecuador, brotherly countries to Spain and members of the Ibero-American community.»
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, «The United States condemns any violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and takes very seriously the obligation of host countries under international law to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions.» He called on both countries to resolve their differences.
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Ecuador President Daniel Noboa arrives with his wife Lavinia Valbonesi to Carondelet presidential palace in Quito, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Honduran President Xiomara Castro, writing on X, characterized the raid as «an intolerable act for the international community» and a «violation of the sovereignty of the Mexican State and international law» because «it ignores the historical and fundamental right to asylum.»
On Saturday, Glas was taken from the attorney general’s office in Quito to the port city of Guayaquil, where he will remain in custody at a maximum-security prison. People who had gathered outside the prosecutor’s office yelled «strength» as he left with a convoy of police and military vehicles.
Vice President Jorge Glas leaves the Attorney General’s Office after making a voluntary statement regarding his alleged connection with two corruption cases in Quito, Ecuador, Aug. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa, File)
Glas’ attorney, Sonia Vera, told the AP that officers broke into his room and he resisted when they attempted to put his hands behind his back. She said the officers then «knocked him to the floor, kicked him in the head, in the spine, in the legs, the hands,» and when he «couldn’t walk, they dragged him out.»
Vera said the defense team was not allowed to speak with Glas while he was at the prosecutor’s office, and it is now working to file a habeas corpus petition.
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Diplomatic premises are considered foreign soil and «inviolable» under the Vienna treaties and host country law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador.
People seeking asylum have lived anywhere from days to years at embassies around the world, including at Ecuador’s in London, which housed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for seven years because British police could not enter to arrest him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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White House backs Israel’s decision to halt Gaza aid shipments until Hamas accepts ceasefire extension
The White House is supporting the Israeli government’s decision to block aid to Gaza until Hamas leaders agree to a ceasefire extension, according to a newly-released statement.
In a statement obtained by Fox News on Sunday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that Israel has «negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists.»
«We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire,» Hughes added.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli officials announced that they are stopping the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip and warned Hamas it would face «additional consequences» if it does not accept a new proposal for an extended ceasefire.
ISRAEL AGREES TO TRUMP ENVOY’S TEMPORARY GAZA CEASEFIRE EXTENSION PROPOSAL AS FIRST PHASE EXPIRES: REPORTS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on Dec. 9, 2024. (Maya Alleruzzo/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
«With the conclusion of the 1st stage of the hostages deal and in light of Hamas’ refusal to accept the [U.S. Mideast envoy Steve] Witkoff framework for the continuation of the talks, to which Israel agreed, PM Netanyahu decided: as of this morning, entry of all goods & supplies to the Gaza Strip be halted,» Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on X.
«Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences,» the post added.
Hamas accused Israel of attempting to derail the fragile truce, saying its decision to cut off aid was «cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack on the (ceasefire) agreement.»
«The occupation’s announcement of halting the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip is yet another confirmation of its failure to uphold its commitments and its evasion of obligations under the ceasefire agreement,» Hamas said in a statement. «This reflects its ugly criminal face and constitutes a continuation of the genocide against our people, as well as an act of blackmail targeting an entire population by depriving them of food, water, and medicine.»
The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which included an uptick in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have not yet negotiated the second phase, in which Hamas was called to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas terrorists take up positions ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli official said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration.
Israeli officials said earlier on Sunday that they support a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, or April 20. They said the proposal came from the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Under that deal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the remainder when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, according to Netanyahu’s office.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli also pulled back forces from most of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid to enter the region.
But the first phase also featured various disputes, as each side accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
Hamas now says Israel committed another violation by suspending aid. The terror group said deliveries were supposed to continue as the two sides negotiated the second phase of the ceasefire.
HAMAS RELEASES MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 600 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL
Hamas fighters stand in formation as Palestinians gather on a street to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Feb. 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and abducting more than 251. Hamas still has 59 hostages, 32 of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive into Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run government’s Gaza Health Ministry. It does not specify how many of the dead were terrorists or civilians.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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