Ecuadorian government on 'high alert' after discovering an alleged assassination plot against Noboa

Ecuador is on "high alert," the government announced Saturday, following an intelligence report warning of an alleged assassination attempt against re-elected President Daniel Noboa.

A report from the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, dated Thursday and signed by Army Colonel Rolando Proaño, states that following President Noboa’s re-election last weekend, "the transfer of hired assassins from Mexico and other countries to Ecuador has begun, with the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks against the President of the Republic" and his closest officials.

Noboa will serve until 2029 after defeating leftist candidate Luisa González, who has yet to concede the election.

"We strongly condemn and repudiate any attempt to attempt against the life of the President of the Republic, State authorities and public officials," the Ministry of Government stated in a release early Saturday morning, following the leak of the military document on social media.

The report warns of "the planning of possible terrorist attacks" on road infrastructure, banks and state institutions.

The report also references the potential for "violent" protests across the country and recommends strengthening the president’s security detail.

"The State is in maximum alert," the Ministry of Government announced on X. "The Armed Forces, the National Police and the intelligence agencies are working in an articulated way to neutralize any threat."

Noboa's government blamed the alleged assassination plot on "criminal structures, in complicity with political sectors defeated at the polls," though it provided no names or specific details.

Mexico and Colombia do not recognize Noboa's reelection

The governments of Gustavo Petro in Colombia and Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico have refrained from recognizing Noboa’s victory, following Luisa González’s allegations of electoral fraud—claims that were dismissed by observers from the European Union and the Organization of American States.

Mexico severed diplomatic relations with Ecuador in April of last year, after President Noboa ordered a raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas—convicted of embezzlement and seeking asylum inside the diplomatic compound.

Ecuador, caught in a violent turf war between drug traffickers and rival international mafias, has become one of the most dangerous spots on the continent.

Daniel Noboa, who declared Ecuador to be in a state of internal armed conflict in 2024, is seeking to tackle criminal violence with a hardline policy and has called for the support of allied countries.