Still photos show military involved with attack on Correa

[flamingdem]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9232087&mesg_id=9232087

[Peace Patriot]

1. The Ecuadoran military has strongly backed President Correa

and it is not at all clear who the two operatives in the vid/photos are. One wears a black bandana on his face, the other a police riot helmet.

There was only one defection from the military (that I know of) and that was an AF unit or some AF officers who helped the police shut down an airport. The rest of the military, headed by the Joint Chiefs commander, sided with Correa, stated so immediately, rescued Correa from the hospital (which took time only because Correa asked them to slow down, to avoid fatalities), and Correa is back in charge and has declared a state of emergency/martial law, which the Ecuadoran military is implementing.

Large portions of the police clearly rioted--probably having been stoked by coup plotters who spread the disinformation among them that their bonuses were being cut (which was not true). I think that the coup plotters were surprised by President Correa directly, personally appearing at the police barracks and when they wouldn't talk to him, declaring, "You want to kill the president? Here he is...". The two operatives in the rioting scene (caught on the vid) were near enough to him to shoot him, but didn't seem to have guns, and also didn't have clear shots. They had to reach over his body guards to try to rip his tear gas mask off, as tear gas projectiles were shot at his head. These two did what they could to harm him, but got shoved away by his guards. Later--after the military had rescued him from the hospital--shooters hit his car as it drove away from the hospital. So it clearly was a coup attempt with assassination as part of the plot, but I think his unexpected appearance at the barracks threw things off. The coup plotters later regrouped and got off shots at his car. He was unharmed. There is no suggestion whatever that anyone in the military shot at him or set him up--but those shooters are still unknown. And the two apparent police-connected operatives in the riot crowd are also unidentified (as far as we know).