'It's traumatic'- Brazilian businessman kidnapped on Ecuador's 'Day of Chaos' recounts attack

Record ID: 1761480

  • Title: 'It's traumatic'- Brazilian businessman kidnapped on Ecuador's 'Day of Chaos' recounts attack
  • Date: 16th January 2024
  • Summary: GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR (JANUARY 15, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN BUSINESSMAN WHO WAS ABDUCTED BY ARMED GANG DURING ECUADOR'S TURMOIL, THIAGO ALLAN FREITAS, SAYING: "When I was leaving that place with them to go to the next place, the police were already there and recognized me. They (the police) already had my photos, data, and everything, so they recognized me and captured the criminals. One escaped, precisely the one who went out first to see the situation outside but the others were captured. Two men and a woman were captured, and one escaped." FREITAS DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN BUSINESSMAN WHO VAS ABDUCTED BY ARMED GANG DURING ECUADOR'S TURMOIL, THIAGO ALLAN FREITAS, SAYING: "In Brazil, I never went through anything like this; in Ecuador, unfortunately, it's a wonderful country, but I've been here for two years, and I've already been robbed at gunpoint. They've cheated me out of money, they stole my money, and now this, in a period of two years. So it's traumatic. I really find it difficult to stay here." SOLDIERS ON VEHICLE PATROLLING STREETS PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET SOLDIERS GETTING OFF OF VEHICLE SOLDIER FRISKING MAN ARMED SOLDIER ARMED SOLDIER FRISKING MAN / MAN PULLING DOWN HIS TROUSERS ARMED SOLDIER TALKING WITH WOMAN
  • Embargoed: 30th January 2024 17:13
  • Keywords: Brazilian Ecuador Guayaquil crime jail kidnapping
  • Location: GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR
  • City: GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR
  • Country: Ecuador
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,South America / Central America
  • Reuters ID: LVA003258416012024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A Brazilian businessman kidnapped on Ecuador's 'Day of Chaos' this month recounted on Tuesday (January 15) how an armed gang took him during the turmoil in the South American country.
    In an interview with Reuters, Thiago Allan Freitas, 38, said he was kidnapped by common criminals on Tuesday (09) in Guayaquil and was held captive for a whole day.
    His family reported his abduction on Wednesday morning (January 10) via social media. In the video, you can see his 17-year-old son denouncing the kidnappers' demands.
    Freitas, who has lived in the port city of Guayaquil for two years, said he was held in a house where he was tied up, gagged, and assaulted by the kidnappers.
    The businessman, who owns a steakhouse, said that the police rescued him on Wednesday when the criminals were going to take him to another place. During the operation, police arrested two men and a woman while another escaped.
    According to Freitas, the criminals were not politically motivated and were part of a group of common criminals who took advantage of the state of chaos in the country to make money.
    Freitas said he regrets having lived through this experience, which he described as "traumatic," and that although he considers Ecuador to be a "wonderful" country, he finds it difficult to stay there amid the wave of violence.
    Ecuador has reported a dramatic spike in violence from the last week with the storming by gunmen of a live TV news broadcast, explosions in several cities, and the kidnapping of police officers.
    (Production: Herbert Villarraga, Liamar Ramos, Lais Morais)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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