A convoy including the car of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa was surrounded by around 500 people and pelted with stones on Tuesday, according to government reports.

Mr Noboa was on his way to an event in the city of Cañar in central Ecuador, Energy Minister Inés Manzano said in a video posted on Instagram.

Mr Manzano said that bullet holes were later found in the conservative president’s vehicle, adding that he was uninjured.

The government also posted a video on the social media platform X purported to show the attack from inside one of the vehicles, with people hurling large stones at the car and smashing its windows.

According to Mr Manzano, five suspected attackers accused of attempted murder have been arrested.

He also said that the attack was the second within a few weeks.

In late September, protesters near the northern city of Cotacachi attacked a convoy transporting humanitarian aid, led by Mr Noboa and EU diplomats; 12 soldiers were injured in the incident.

Since mid-September, various organisations in Ecuador have been staging protests, including roadblocks, against cuts to diesel subsidies and other government austerity measures.

Mr Noboa, 37, has been president since 2023 and was re-elected in April.

One of his biggest challenges is rampant crime, as powerful drug gangs expand their activities in what was once a relatively safe country.

Large quantities of cocaine are smuggled via Pacific ports primarily to Europe and Asia.

(dpa/NAN)