Ecuador police rescue security guard wearing explosive device in vest

Police successfully deactivated a vest-like explosive device Thursday that an unknown number of people allegedly had taped to the chest of a security guard at a jewelry store in Ecuador’s main port city.

The guard was uninjured. Authorities would question him to try to locate any suspects, said Francesco Tabacchi, governor of the state of Guayas, which includes the city of Guayaquil.

Authorities did not provide additional details, including a possible motive.

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Residents pray as police officers aid a security guard who had explosives taped to his torso in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on March 30, 2023.  (AP Photo/Cesar Munoz)

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Local news outlets showed traffic in the area was interrupted while the guard, wearing a white shirt and dark pants, walked nervously with what appeared to be sticks of dynamite on his chest.

Police tweeted a video showing an officer in a bomb disposal suit and the security guard no longer carrying the device, which was detonated nearby without incident.

The event was followed minute by minute through social media and local news outlets.