Ecuadorian presidential candidate assassinated

People take cover after shots were fired at the end of a rally. Pic/AP

An Ecuadorian presidential candidate known for speaking up against cartels and corruption was shot and killed on Wednesday at a political rally in the capital, amid a startling wave of gang-driven violence in the South American country.

President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio and suggested organised crime was behind his slaying, less than two weeks before the August 20 presidential election. "I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished," Lasso said in a statement. "Organised crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law."

Ecuador's attorney general's office said that one suspect died in custody from wounds sustained in a firefight after the killing, and police detained six suspects following raids in Quito. In his final speech before he was killed, Villavicencio promised a roaring crowd that he would root out corruption and lock up the country's "thieves."

Prior to the shooting, Villavicencio said he had received multiple death threats, including from affiliates of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, one of a slew of international organised crime groups that now operate in Ecuador. He said his campaign represented a threat to such groups.

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