Airport Assassins Hid Guns Behind Teddy Bears

Passengers emerging from the airport in Ecuador's largest city on Wednesday walked into a scene out of a crime thriller—only it was real. Security video from Guayaquil shows two young men waiting in the arrivals area with stuffed animals and flowers before one steps forward, draws a gun from behind a teddy bear, and fatally shoots a man at close range, per the BBC. The second suspect then fires a shot before fleeing after his accomplice, according to the video. Interior Minister John Reimberg identified the victim as 39-year-old Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, alleged leader of the Los Águilas gang in the nearby El Triunfo region.

Police say two teenagers are in custody over the killing, which left a bystander wounded and briefly shut the arrivals hall. Los Águilas was labeled a terrorist group this year by President Daniel Noboa and is accused of drug trafficking and extortion. The attack came a day after Noboa imposed a new state of emergency in 10 provinces, including Guayas, amid soaring gang violence that has pushed Ecuador's murder rate to record levels, per the BBC and AA. Once considered relatively calm despite sitting between cocaine powerhouses Colombia and Peru, the country has become a key drug route—and, increasingly, a battleground.