MEXICO CITY/QUITO - Ecuadorean authorities arrested former Vice President Jorge Glas on Friday evening, seizing him from the Mexican embassy and prompting Mexico to suspend bilateral relations.

Glas, convicted twice for corruption, had been holed up in the embassy in Quito since seeking political asylum in December, arguing he was being persecuted by the attorney general's office.

Police forcefully entered Mexico's embassy in Quito before making the arrest, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador posted on X. The Ecuadorean president's office said in a statement it had arrested Glas.

Lopez Obrador said he had instructed Mexico's foreign minister to suspend diplomatic ties with Ecuador, calling the arrest a violation of international law and Mexican sovereignty. REUTERS