By Alexandra Valencia and Jesús Aguado
QUITO/MADRID, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Ecuador’s government on Wednesday protested a Spanish court’s release of an alleged crime boss who Quito had been seeking to extradite after he was accused of leading a violent attack on a TV station in 2024.
William Joffre Alcivar Bautista, known as Commander Willy and alleged head of the criminal group Los Tiguerones, was arrested in Spain alongside his brother Alex in October 2024 on terrorism charges.
Ecuadorean authorities accuse Alcivar and his brother of orchestrating car bombings, contract killings, extortion and a live on-air raid of TC Television’s studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city.
Spain’s High Court authorized Alcivar’s extradition last June, provided that Ecuador guaranteed his safety in custody.
But a spokesperson for the court said on Wednesday that Alcivar had been released on December 29 because Ecuador did not provide the requested guarantees.
“This person had two extradition requests, and both were granted, but on the condition that Ecuador provide guarantees,” the court spokesperson said.
“Ecuador had a deadline to submit them and has been repeatedly asked to do so. Several warnings have been issued, and he has had to be released.”
Ecuador’s Interior Minister John Reimberg said on Wednesday that the government had submitted all necessary documentation for Alcivar’s extradition.
Criticizing the release of Alcivar, he said the process had faced unexplained delays and that Spain had repeatedly requested more information despite Ecuador’s provision of the documentation.
Reimberg said Ecuador’s foreign ministry was working to re-apprehend Alcivar and have him returned to Ecuador. Reimberg did not specify whether Alcivar’s brother was also released.
The 2024 attack on the TV station unfolded live for about 20 minutes, as 13 masked and heavily armed men stormed the studio, forcing staff to the floor. Police eventually rescued the hostages and the attackers surrendered.
Following the TV station attack, Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa declared war on criminal gangs, labeling them terrorist groups.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito and Jesus Aguado in Madrid; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle and Rosalba O’Brien)
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