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

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.