 Journalists from a public TV channel in Ecuador said their assailants wanted to be on live TV while they threatened the staff and fired their weapons inside before being released by an operative of the National Police, the president later issued a declaration that the violence plagued country had entered an internal armed conflict. Will Freeman, political analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations said this was a turning point for Ecuador, which could be translated into policies that grant the government a new framework for Ecuador to win its war against crime. The men armed with pistols and what looked like sticks of dynamite entered the set of the TC television network in the port city of Guayaquil during a news program that was airing live in thousands of homes across the nation and shouted that they had bombs, noises similar to gunshots could be heard. No one was killed in the attack and authorities later said that all the masked intruders had been arrested, 13 in all, and would be charged with terrorism. Authorities have not said who was behind the television station occupation or a series of other attacks that have shaken the South American country recently, but they follow the apparent escape from prison of two of Ecuador's most powerful drug gang leaders. Disposing the mobilization and intervention of the armed forces and national police in the national territory to guarantee territorial sovereignty and integrity against organized national crime, terrorist organizations and non-state actors have been released in the present executive decree. At the moment, the President of the Republic has just called for an extraordinary session of the State Security Council. This could happen again, which would be disastrous for Ecuador and I think would cement its status as Latin America's newest narco state. Or I think, and unfortunately it's probably the less likely outcome, the Noboa government will find a way to use this as a catalyst and make some very necessary structural reforms so that the state can begin to win its war on crime.