Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa has claimed he survived a targeted poisoning attempt after receiving chocolate and jam laced with toxic substances.
Speaking on Thursday, October 23, Noboa said the items, which were presented to him as gifts during a public event, were later found to contain three “highly concentrated” poisonous substances.
He asserted that their presence “could not have been accidental” and that his team had gathered evidence to support the claim.
Noboa added that the toxins did not originate from the products or their packaging, suggesting deliberate tampering.
The military unit responsible for his protection has since lodged a formal complaint with prosecutors.
This marks the second attempt on Noboa’s life in recent weeks.
Earlier in October, the government claimed that his motorcade came under attack from protesters, with bullet marks found on his vehicle.
Defense minister Gian Carlo Loffredo described the incident as an “assassination attempt,” though authorities have not produced physical evidence such as shell casings.
Noboa was unharmed.
The accusations come amid escalating anti-government demonstrations led by the indigenous organization Conaie, which has blocked roads across several provinces, including Pichincha, home to the capital, quit, to protest soaring fuel prices.
Some political observers have speculated that Noboa’s repeated claims of assassination attempts may be aimed at discrediting the protests and rallying public sympathy to strengthen his political standing.
“No one throws a Molotov cocktail at themselves or poisons themselves with chocolate, or throws stones at themselves,” Noboa said.
The president is preparing for a November 16 referendum, which he hopes will pave the way for him to draft a constitution that is tougher on drug-related crime.
Ecuador, once one of Latin America’s safest countries, has become a key cocaine transit hub between top producers Colombia and Peru, and consumers around the world.
Murder rates have soared, while car bombings, assassinations and prison massacres have become routine.
Comments