An Ecuadorian presidential escort member stands guard past a national flag during a visit of special envoy of the U.S. Shield of the Americas Program Kristi Noem at the Carondelet Palace in Quito on March 25, 2026. (Credit: Rodrigo Buenda/AFP)
Ecuador has arrested a Syrian national identified by the United States as a "terrorist threat" due to his membership of Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, authorities announced Wednesday. The arrest comes as the government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, cracks down on drug trafficking gangs with support from Washington.
Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg said on X that the man was apprehended following a joint operation between immigration services and the police intelligence service. "An expulsion procedure has been initiated" against the man, identified only by the initials M.H., who entered Ecuador without the required documentation, Reimberg said.
The minister noted that the man was already known to Ecuadorian authorities, having been arrested in the country in 2005 for leading a drug trafficking network that allegedly transferred millions of dollars to Hezbollah. The suspect was granted provisional release in 2012.
Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is fighting against Israel as part of the Middle East conflict sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. In 2005, President Noboa signed a decree placing Hezbollah, as well Hamas, on the list of "terrorist organizations."
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