On the evening of 31 August 2023, two separate vehicle-borne explosive devices detonated in the capital Quito. The first explosive device detonated at approximately 2000 local time (0100 UTC on 1 September) in front of the headquarters of the National Service for Persons Deprived of Liberty in the La Mariscal residential sector. The second vehicle-borne explosive detonated at around 0200 local time in front of Salesian University, located in the La Floresta sector of the city. The explosions caused minor structural damage to buildings within the immediate vicinity of the blasts, and no injuries were reported. Preliminary investigations indicated that the attacks may have been retaliatory measures from national criminal syndicates responding to a 30 August crackdown by authorities against inmates of Cotopaxi No 1 prison in the city of Latacunga.