A presidential contender in Ecuador's next election who fought against corruption and gangs was shot dead at a campaign gathering.

On Wednesday, Fernando Villavicencio, a member of the country's national assembly, was attacked as he left an event in Quito.

He is one of the few contenders in Ecuador who has claimed linkages between organized crime and government officials.

Los Lobos (The Wolves), a criminal gang, has claimed responsibility.


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Los Lobos is Ecuador's second-largest gang, with over 8,000 members, many of whom are imprisoned.

The group has recently been involved in several horrific prison brawls in which scores of inmates have been ruthlessly murdered.

Los Lobos, a breakaway offshoot of the Los Choneros gang, is thought to have ties to the Mexico-based Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), for which it traffics cocaine.



Los Choneros, which had threatened Mr Villavicencio earlier this week, was first suspected of carrying out the murder. Still, Los Lobos claimed responsibility in a video in which gang members wearing balaclavas flashed gang signs and waved their weapons.


Ecuador has traditionally been a relatively peaceful and stable Latin American country. Still, crime has increased in recent years, fueled by the increasing influence of Colombian and Mexican drug cartels that have penetrated local criminal organizations.

The death occurs less than a fortnight before presidential elections, in which insecurity is a significant worry.