On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 6:00 PM, a pickup truck parked on Avenida José Joaquín de Orrantia, in front of Mall del Sol, exploded violently.
The blast, classified as a terrorist act by Guayas Governor Humberto Plaza, occurred next to a building of Grupo Nobis, a company owned by the family of President Daniel Noboa.
The toll is devastating: a taxi driver died, more than 30 people were injured, two in serious condition, according to the Guayaquil Fire Department.
The explosion unleashed chaos in one of the city’s busiest areas, a financial hub with hotels, banks, hospitals, and restaurants. The vehicle, engulfed in flames, attracted the taxi driver and other curious onlookers before a second detonation scattered debris, shattered glass in nearby buildings, and damaged parked cars.
Videos captured by witnesses show the horror: intense fire followed by a roar that was felt several blocks away, audible on local radio and television broadcasts. Hundreds of people in Mall del Sol ran in panic, seeking refuge inside the commercial complex.
The authorities’ response was immediate; the National Police cordoned off the area while military personnel and firefighters deployed to control the situation. Ten ambulances attended to the injured, transferring them to nearby hospitals, and psychological support was provided to witnesses in crisis.
A second suspicious vehicle with explosives was found nearby and neutralized through a controlled detonation. Interior Minister José Reimberg assured that the device was not homemade but a professional bomb designed by criminal groups to sow terror.
The Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation, collecting security camera footage and statements. Municipal cameras captured two vehicles leaving the Cooperativa San Francisco, across from the Litoral Penitentiary, although only one detonated.
All of this is part of the escalating violence suffocating Ecuador; in the first half of 2025, the country recorded 4,619 homicides, a 47% increase from the 3,143 in the same period in 2024. By August, murders exceeded 5,200, with Guayaquil accounting for a third of them.Since January 2024, President Daniel Noboa declared an «internal armed conflict» against 22 gangs, labeled as terrorist groups.
Guayas has been under a state of emergency since August 2025, with military patrolling the streets. However, the gangs respond with increasingly bold attacks, infiltrating prisons and striking symbols of power like Grupo Nobis, an emblem of economic stability. The attack appears to be a direct message to the government.
In response to the car bomb attack outside Mall del Sol, President Daniel Noboa strongly condemned accusations from figures like former President Rafael Correa, who suggested the attack was a «self-inflicted» act.
“No retrocederemos”: Daniel Noboa desafía a las mafias tras el coche bomba en Guayaquil
El presidente Daniel Noboa afirmó que no dará marcha atrás frente a los grupos criminales, tras la explosión ocurrida en Guayaquil, calificándola como una señal de desesperación de… pic.twitter.com/ReTi7D9P6c— Veinticuatro-Siete (@24_7ec) October 15, 2025
In a forceful speech, Noboa stated that «fugitives» and leaders linked to gangs such as Los Lobos and Los Choneros lack the moral ground to demand answers from the government, given their own ties to organized crime.
«Look in the mirror and ask yourselves if it’s worth siding with evil,» he declared, criticizing the hypocrisy of those who, according to him, have aligned with criminals while feigning outrage.
The president reiterated his commitment to not yield to criminals, vowing to imprison them, and reaffirmed his support for the public with a «humane» government focused on protecting honest citizens.
The situation worsens with social protests. On October 7, the presidential caravan was stoned in the south of the country over diesel price hikes, leaving broken windows. The U.S. Embassy issued a level 2 alert, warning of crime, terrorism, and kidnappings, and recommending avoiding Mall del Sol and the nearby airport.
On the other hand, adding more scandal to this terrible incident, former President Rafael Correa suggested on social media that the car bomb attack near Mall del Sol in Guayaquil might have been a «self-inflicted attack.»
His comment sparked widespread outrage, as journalists, public figures, and citizens considered spreading unproven theories during a crisis to be irresponsible and lacking empathy.
Moreover, amid national shock, a 2024 post attributed to Correa, in which the former president spoke about possible explosive attacks in Ecuador, resurfaced, fueling debate and perceived as an attempt to politicize the pain when the priority should have been supporting the victims and backing the work of security forces.
This crisis is the legacy of weak policies from previous leftist governments, which allowed the advance of drug trafficking. Noboa, with a firm hand, has invested in intelligence and the armed forces, but more is needed: strict judicial reforms, border control, and international cooperation against cartels.
Guayaquil resists, but time is running out; the authorities promise justice, and the country hopes it is not empty rhetoric.
This attack is a war cry: the fight against organized crime must intensify now or never.
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