Estefany Puente Castro was attacked in the city of Quevedo, in the Ecuadorian province of Los Rios, on August 10, while driving downtown in a car with her father and a company employee.
Citing police, local media reported that an unknown armed individual had approached the car and demanded Puente stop. The opposition politician then tried to accelerate, prompting the attacker to shoot at the car from the driver’s side.
Puente was not injured and no evidence of a firearm having been fired was found inside her vehicle; however, photos from the scene showed damages to the vehicle, including shattered glass.
The FBI confirmed to Sputnik on Friday it was sending agents to Ecuador to assist authorities in investigating the recent murder of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito.
Diana Atamaint, the president of the National Electoral Council of Ecuador, said on Thursday that the date of Ecuador's early presidential election scheduled for August 20 would remain unchanged despite the assassination of Villavicencio.
The officials underscored the country's armed forces would guarantee the security of Ecuadorians throughout the planned electoral process, adding that the protection for the remaining presidential candidates would be doubled.