Mexico Rejects Claim That Local Hitmen Were Traveling To Mexico To Kill The President Of Ecuador

Mexico has rejected claims that local hitmen are traveling to Ecuador to kill the country's president, Daniel Noboa, as he is set to begin a new term in office.

Noboa's administration has had testy relationships with some Latin American counterparts, including Colombia and Mexico, none of which have recognized his win citing inconsistencies. Noboa claimed victory in mid-April, with results showing him getting 56% of the votes compared to Luisa Gonzalez's 44%, a larger-than-expected margin after a virtual tie in the first round. Gonzalez has rejected the results.

Tensions between Quito and Mexico escalated last year after Ecuadorean forces stormed the Mexican embassy in the country to take former Vice President Jorge Glas, who was taking shelter there as the government sought to try him for corruption. The incident led to a rupture in diplomatic relations between the countries, with Mexico accusing Noboa of violating the country's sovereignty.

Relations were mostly latent since then, but soured again over the past days as Ecuadorean outlets reported that the military was looking into the possibility that "hitmen were being moved from Mexico to carry out terrorist attacks against the president, his cabinet and work team."

The Noboa administration also declared a "maximum alert," citing intelligence about the planning of a magnicide and other terrorist attacks. "It is deplorable that criminal structures, in cahoots with political sectors defeated at the ballot box, intend to create chaos through violence and terror." The Sheinbaum administration, however, called the claim "unscrupulous" and rejected the claim.

"The Foreign ministry flatly rejected the reiterated and unscrupulous creation of narratives in official statements and/or leaks of official documents alluding to Mexico as a source of alleged criminal acts," the statement adds.

The country went on to say that even though it doesn't have diplomatic relations with Ecuador, Mexico "guides itself and always will through the principle of non-intervention."