Ecuadorian gang 'Los Lobos' says it's being framed with a fake video for killing a presidential candidate

• An Ecuadorian gang is denying responsibility for the killing of a presidential candidate.
• In a video, men claiming to be members of the gang said imposters were trying to frame them.

One of the most violent gangs in Ecuador is denying that it had anything to do with the assassination of a prominent politician, claiming that it was being framed by imposters, the BBC reported.

Fernando Villavicencio, a former journalist and member of Ecuador's parliament, was campaigning for the presidency when he was shot and killed Wednesday after holding a rally in Quito, the nation's capital. Although not favored to win the Aug. 20 election, Villavicencio had received death threats for crusading against corruption and the violence of drug cartels. Ecuador's homicide rate has more than tripled since 2018.

Soon after Villavicencio's killing, a video was posted online, claiming to be from members of Los Lobos, or The Wolves, a criminal organization accused of involvement in the international narcotics trade. In the video, masked men claim that the gang — believed to have thousands of members across the South American country — had actually given millions of dollars to Villavicencio's campaign, killing him after he supposedly failed to keep a promise.

The video was shared on social media by former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, a leftist firebrand who was a frequent target of Villavicencio's criticism. But on Thursday, Correa told his 3.9 million followers that he had fallen for a "fake."

"The impressive thing is that there are people that play with such serious things," he wrote. "I am very sorry for the mistake."

Villavicencio's killing came after he was threatened by Los Choneros, a fierce rival of Los Lobos. In 2021, a dispute between the gangs inside one prison left 116 people dead, several by decapitation.

In another video, posted after the initial claim of responsibility, men claiming to be members of Los Lobos said they were being framed.

"We don't cover our faces," the men said, according to a translation by the BBC. "[T]he video in which masked men with assault rifles pretend to be members of our organization is totally false," the men added, describing the killing of Villavicencio as a "tragedy."

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