Ecuadorian police officers kidnapped, explosions reported following.

Four Ecuadorian police officers have been kidnapped, and explosions have been reported in cities in the South American country on Tuesday, following the escape of Jose Adolfo Macias, the leader of the Los Choneros criminal organization from prison earlier this week.

Earlier this week, Ecuador’s prosecutor’s office announced that two corrections officers were charged in relation to the disappearance of Macias, who had been described by officials as “the most-wanted prisoner,” from a complex in Guayaquil on Sunday.

According to Reuters, three police officers were abducted from their station in the city of Machala overnight while a fourth was taken by a trio of criminals in the capital city of Quito, where a pedestrian bridge was also targeted by a blast which did not cause any injuries.

According to Reuters, “Our specialized units are currently engaged in locating our colleagues in the crime scene and pursuing their capture,” police said, in response to the attack. “We will not allow these acts of violence to go unpunished.”

The President of Panama, Daniel Noboa, announced a national state of emergency on Monday, a measure that allows the authorities to suspend people’s rights and mobilize the military in places such as prisons to ensure people’s safety.

Noboa, speaking in a message that appeared on his Instagram page without directly mentioning the disappearance of the 44-year-old gang leader, said he would not stop until he “brings peace to all Ecuadorians,” and that his government has decided to combat crime within the prison system.

It has also been reported by El Universo Monday that some guards from five prisons throughout the country have been taken hostage by armed men, according to the Ecuadorian prison authority.

Fito Macias served 34 years in prison for drug trafficking and murder.