Bomb attack damages Ecuador mining agency probing illegal gold

A bomb apparently targeting Ecuador’s mining regulator blew out several floors of windows at a major government building in the capital of Quito early Monday morning.

The agency, known as Arcom, was attacked “because of the changes being done regarding illegal mining,” Agriculture Minister Juan Carlos Vega said in a voice message. “It also affected public media and the ministry of agriculture,” he added. “And it broke windows in almost the first five floors of the ministry.”

It’s the second blast in recent weeks affecting Arcom offices. A June 12 attack damaged the regulator’s building and nearby homes in Machala, in southwest Ecuador. The government is increasing Arcom’s budget amid a domestic war on drug gangs that are also heavily involved in illegal gold mining.

No people were injured in the blast in Quito’s north-central business district at about 2:50 a.m. local time, Vega said. A car was found engulfed in flames several blocks away at approximately the same time, near a key tunnel that links the area with eastern suburbs, according to local media.

(By Stephan Kueffner)