International

Pretrial detention for terrorism detainees in Ecuador

Photo: FGR

September 1|

The court in charge of the criminal proceedings against those involved in the recent explosion of a car bomb in the La Mariscal sector, north of Quito, Ecuador, ordered Friday the remand in custody for the six detainees.

The Attorney General’s Office informed that, following its request, the judge ordered preventive detention for the six defendants for the alleged crime of terrorism while the prosecutorial instruction will last 30 days.

According to legal information, the crime of terrorism, typified in article 366, numeral 2 of the Organic Integral Penal Code, presents a penalty ranging from 10 to 13 years of imprisonment.

“The Prosecutor ordered the practice of several proceedings that were exposed in the hearing of qualification of flagrancy and formulation of charges, as elements of conviction for the crime of terrorism, for which today they are remanded in custody,” said the agency through a statement.

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In this sense, the Public Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that among the elements are “the reports of the chemical tests performed to the vehicle and the motorcycle that were used to perpetrate the attack; the sequence of images in which the accused appear carrying out activities related to the explosion; the report of the recognition of the place of the facts, the chain of custody and others”.

The Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that the detainees bought a can of fuel in a gas station located in Francisco de Orellana and 6 de Diciembre avenues. Later, they went to Ulpiano Páez and Robles streets, where they sprayed gasoline on a car and a motorcycle and then set them on fire.

Carlos Alfredo C., Hugo Andrés E., Christian Andrés B., Luis Darío M., Antoni Daniel A. and Marco Antonio T. are being prosecuted for the explosion of a vehicle on Tuesday at Robles and Ulpiano Páez streets.

The Ecuadorian Police confirmed the explosion this Thursday of a second car bomb in Quito. It was a van-type vehicle with two LPG cylinders inside, exploded near the building of the National Service of Integral Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI).

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International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.