Americans warned of kidnapping, extortion as violent crime grips parts of tourist spot

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Park Magazine editor-in-chief Julie Sagoskin describes how volcanic activity in Italy upended her vacation and forced her to take an approximately 11-hour overnight train to Rome before catching a flight back to New York. The State Department is warning Americans to steer clear of parts of a South American country as violent crime, terrorism and kidnapping raise safety concerns among tourists. The State Department this week issued a Level 2 "Exercise Increased Caution" advisory for the nation of Ecuador. In the advisory, officials warned of widespread crime across Ecuador, including murders, assaults, kidnappings and armed robberies linked to drug trafficking. ROBBERIES, ASSAULTS AND RAPES SPUR NEW US TRAVEL WARNING FOR POPULAR CARIBBEAN GETAWAY "Areas with transnational criminal organizations have much higher rates of violent crime," officials said.