Ecuador releases man who survived US strike on 'drug-carrying submarine'
Colombian citizen who also survived American attack remains hospitalised after being repatriated to Bogota, officials say.
Ecuador has released a man who survived a US strike on a suspected drug-trafficking submarine, the attorney general's office said, after finding no evidence that he had committed a crime.
The Ecuadorian attorney general's office said in a statement there was "no report of a crime that has been brought to the attention of this institution" against the man, and therefore "he could not be detained."
The man, who has not been identified, had "no pending cases against him," it added.
The Associated Press, citing an official, said that the Ecuadorian man, identified as Andres Fernando Tufino, was in good health after medical evaluations.
A document from the Ecuadorian government obtained by AP said "there is no evidence or indication that could lead prosecutors or judicial authorities to be certain" of any violation of current laws by Tufino.
Trump's claims
Another survivor of the same strike was sent to his native Colombia, where Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said he had "arrived with brain trauma, sedated, drugged, breathing with a ventilator."
Authorities there said he would face prosecution.
US authorities repatriated the Ecuadorian man, who survived an attack last week on what US President Donald Trump said was a "very large drug-carrying submarine" headed for the United States.
The United States has deployed warships to the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela since August, attacking mostly boats that US authorities claim were running drugs.
These raids have killed at least 32 people and drawn angry reactions from some South American leaders.
Trump on Saturday bragged about destroying the submarine and labelled the men on board "terrorists."
In a social media post, he claimed the submarine was loaded with fentanyl and other drugs. The US attack also killed two crew members.
There is little evidence to indicate that fentanyl is produced in the Andes, as the vast majority of it flows into the US through Mexico.
Asked why the two survivors were not taken to the United States to be prosecuted, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that "so long as they're not bringing poison into our country," he doesn't "really care" what happens to them.
Colombia and Venezuela in Trump's crosshairs
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa said in a post on X on Monday, tagging Trump's account, that his government was determined to fight drug trafficking.
"Ecuador stands firm in the global fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining, challenges that demand unity among nations committed to peace and prosperity," Noboa said.
Ecuador, once considered one of Latin America's safest nations, has seen a dramatic surge in violence in recent years.
Strategically located between Colombia and Peru, two of the world's largest cocaine producers, it has become a major transit hub for narcotics.
Some regional leaders have harshly criticised the US attacks that have set off tensions in the region, particularly between Trump, Venezuela and Colombia, once one of the American government’s tightest allies in the Western Hemisphere.
In a post on X, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro said the US operation was part of a "failed strategy" to "control Latin America... and obtain cheap oil from Venezuela."
Last month, Washington announced it had decertified Colombia as an ally in the fight against drugs. Colombia hit back by halting arms purchases from the United States, its biggest military partner.
Meanwhile, Bogota announced on Tuesday that Petro held a "constructive" meeting with a US representative amid a public feud with Trump.
Petro had a "long, frank, and constructive" meeting on Monday with US Charge d'Affaires John McNamara, Colombia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the "senior officials reaffirmed the commitment of both parties to improve drug fighting strategies."
Tensions increased on Sunday when Trump called Petro "an illegal drug leader" and "a lunatic" after Petro accused the US government of killing a Colombian citizen in a September 16 strike on a boat the US said was allegedly carrying drugs.
Trump has also indicated that he authorised covert CIA operations against Venezuela, without offering specifics. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says Washington is plotting to oust him.