Ecuador police capture four suspects in prison car bomb attack investigation

Ecuadorian police have apprehended four individuals suspected of involvement in a car bomb attack that occurred outside the 'La Roca' prison in Guayaquil last September. The arrests followed a ten-month investigation that allowed authorities to identify the explosive-laden vehicle, a support van, confirm the use of powerful explosives, and map the perpetrators' escape route.

Interior Minister John Reimberg announced the detentions after conducting 14 raids in the Guayas province early Wednesday. He highlighted that one of the arrested men is a close relative of two prosecutors, a detail he vowed to "very closely monitor" to ensure the investigation proceeds without interference. Reimberg also noted that two of the detainees have prior records for robbery, murder, and drug trafficking.

The minister suggested that the criminal organization Los Lobos is likely behind the attack. The car bomb detonated on the night of September 26, 2025, directly in front of the prison's main entrance. This incident occurred just one day after the prison director narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. Surveillance footage captured the vehicle being left at the scene and the driver's subsequent escape, mirroring tactics previously used by criminal gangs in Ecuador involving vehicles packed with dynamite or gas tanks to create large explosions.