Exploding USBs used to target journalists in Ecuador

A journalist at Ecuadorian TV station, Ecuavisa, plugged an unknown USB device into his computer, which immediately exploded. At least five media outlets received similar bombs, but there were no other explosions.

As per Agence France Presse (AFP,) the USB explosion caused no serious injuries. The prosecutor's office has opened up an investigation into terrorist activity following multiple threats to local TV and radio stations.

A non-governmental organization advocating for press freedom, the Fundamedios, detailed a few of the cases that followed the same modus operandi.

Lenin Artieda from Ecuavisa sustained slight injuries when plugging the unknown USB device into his computer. The letter contained a threatening note, too: but it's unclear from the reports whether Artieda had read it before plugging in the explosive device.

A local police officer told reporters that USBs could have been loaded with military-type explosives.

"This USB had a launcher capsule. We presume that it was RDX [a type of explosive,] and we are going to do the corresponding analysis," the local police official Xavier Chango said.

Artieda suffered injuries to his hand and face, but Chango said the injuries were not serious and the journalist remained in good health overall.

Mauricio Ayora from TC Televisión also received an envelope with an unknown flash drive, yet he decided not to plug it in and simply left it in the office. After learning about the explosion at Ecuavisa, the journalist contacted the police. The letter contained a message from a "political group," Fundamedios said.

Milton Pérez from Teleamazonas decided to plug in the device since the note that arrived with it hinted there was some useful information on the drive. Luckily, he didn't connect the USB drive properly, and it didn't explode. The police confirmed this flash drive also contained explosives.

A similar envelope was also sent to the office of Exa FM radio station. It was connected to the computer via an external cable. While it didn't explode, police have since confirmed it contained explosives.

"This is a new escalation in violence against the press: worrying, unacceptable, in violation of freedom of expression and requiring the immediate intervention of the state," Fundamedios said.

In recent years, Ecuador has become a hub for the global drug trade, with the country's president Guillermo Lasso declaring a state of emergency over drug trafficking in 2021. The number of homicides in the country has skyrocketed since 2020, signifying a failed attempt to curb violent crime.