An ironic end has come to a presidential candidate in the South American nation of Ecuador.
59-year-old Fernando Villacicencio, who had campaigned to fight crime and corruption in the country, was assassinated two weeks before a presidential election.
Gunfire erupted and Villacicencio was shot and killed in broad daylight while entering a truck after a campaign event.
President Guillermo Lasso confirmed assassins threw grenades as they fled the scene.
At least six Colombian men have been arrested on Thursday in the capital of Quito.
Villavicencio said he had received multiple death threats before the incident.
Gang violence and corruption are rampant in Ecuador where drug cartels struggle over power.
Interior Minister Juan Zapata called the killing a "political crime of a terrorist nature" aimed at sabotaging the August 20th election.
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