UK Honorary Consul kidnapped by armed individuals
Colin Armstrong, the UK's Honorary Consul in Guayaquil, has been kidnapped by armed individuals at his farm in Ecuador. A large-scale operation has been launched to locate Armstrong.
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According to reports in the Ecuadorian press, the UK's Honorary Consul in Guayaquil and businessman Armstrong was forcibly abducted by unidentified armed individuals in the Los Rios province in the southwest of the country.
According to a statement from police officials, it is suspected that Armstrong was kidnapped by gangs linked to drug trafficking.
The UK and Ecuadorian foreign ministries have not yet issued a statement regarding the kidnapping of Consul Armstrong.
Police have launched a large-scale operation to locate Armstrong.
Ecuador has been struggling with a security crisis for a long time. Due to the war between gangs, news of attacks is heard almost every day.
In the country where kidnapping, murder, extortion, and drug trafficking are increasingly on the rise, the new President, Daniel Noboa, had announced that deterrent laws would be enacted.