Quito: Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa escaped unharmed after his motorcade was targeted by stone-throwing protesters and what one minister described as a volley of gunshots on Tuesday.

Noboa was inaugurating a water treatment plant in central Ecuador when his motorcade was set on by a large group protesting against rising fuel prices.

"About 500 people showed up and were throwing stones at him, and there are obviously bullet marks on the president's car as well," said Environment Minister Ines Manzano.

She said five people were arrested and would stand trial on terrorism charges -- an offense carrying a maximum punishment of 30 years in jail.

Video released by the government, reportedly filmed from inside the motorcade, shows protesters standing in the road, draped in flags, scrambling to collect large stones and bricks.

As the presidential SUV passed, projectiles thudded into the paneling and shattered windows.

A voice can be heard shouting, "Heads down! Heads down!" as the vehicle sped away.

Officials said they were still investigating whether some of the impact marks on Noboa's armored Chevrolet Suburban were caused by gunfire.

'War policy'

The alleged attack came amid days of increasingly violent demonstrations sparked by a government decision to raise diesel prices.

Protesters have gone on strike, blocked roads and abducted 16 soldiers -- who were eventually released unharmed.

Ecuador's largest Indigenous organization reported on Sunday that a protester had been killed by armed forces during one of the rallies.

More than 100 people, including protesters and security services, are believed to have been injured in the unrest.

Noboa has declared a state of emergency across several provinces.

Noboa's office said on social media following the attack that "cowardly acts will not deter" the president.

Albert Ramdin, head of the Organization of American States, said on social media platform X that "such violent acts are an assault on democracy, stability, and the spirit of peaceful coexistence that must prevail in our societies."

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador said the president's convoy had "entered a resistance zone," leading to "incidents that the government now uses to justify its war policy."

Lawyer Yaku Perez told reporters that those arrested were not "at the protest. They were just confused" amid the commotion during which police fired tear gas.

The recently re-elected president is trying to cut diesel subsidies to save about $1 billion in government spending, diverting much of the savings to security funding.

Ecuador, once considered one of Latin America's safest nations, has seen a dramatic surge in violence in recent years.

MENAFN08102025000063011010ID1110166811