Mexico cuts diplomatic ties with Ecuador after arrest of ex-VP Jorge Glas

Mexico on Friday suspended its diplomatic ties with Ecuador after Ecuadorean authorities arrested former vice president Jorge Glas from the Mexican embassy in Quito, CNN reported.

Glas, convicted twice for corruption, had been holed up in the embassy since seeking political asylum in December, a request Mexico granted earlier on Friday.

Police forcefully entered Mexico's embassy in Quito before making the arrest, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A statement issued from the Ecuadorean president's office announced that the arrest Glas. 

Accoridng to Reuters, Glas, who served as vice president under the leftist government of Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017, was taken into custody amid heavy military presence at the magistrates court in the Andean capital.

Tensions between both countries have been escalating in the past week.

The arrest comes after Ecuador on Thursday declared Mexico's ambassador in Quito persona non grata, citing "unfortunate" comments from the leftist President Lopez Obrador.

Ecuador contends that Mexico's asylum offer was illegal.

In a statement, Ecuador's presidency accused Mexico of "having abused the immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission that housed the former vice president, and granting diplomatic asylum contrary to the conventional legal framework."

Lopez Obrador said he had instructed Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena to suspend diplomatic ties with Ecuador, calling the arrest an "authoritarian" act and a violation of international law and Mexican sovereignty.

Ecuadorean authorities have claimed that they had sought permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glas, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 after he was found guilty of receiving bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht in exchange for awarding it government contracts.

Glas, who has a preventive arrest warrant out on another corruption case, has complained that he is being persecuted for his political affiliation, which Ecuador's government denies.