QUITO, Ecuador (NEWSnet/AP) — International leaders have condemned Ecuador after police breached Embassy of Mexico in Quito to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas.

The raid Friday prompted Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to sever the country’s diplomatic tie with Ecuador.

Alicia Bárcena, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, said the move will be challenged at World Court in The Hague.

Police broke through external doors of the embassy to arrest Gras, who had been residing there since December. He had sought asylum after being indicted on corruption charges.

The break-in was condemned widely.

Organization of American States reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of the obligation not to “invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations.”

Spain’s foreign ministry said entry by force into the embassy constitutes a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. 

U.S. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. condemns any violation of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and takes “very seriously” the obligation of host countries under international law to respect "inviolability" of diplomatic missions.

On Saturday, Glas was taken from the attorney general’s office in Quito to Guayaquil, where he will remain in custody at a maximum-security prison.

Authorities are investigating Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a 2016 earthquake. 

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said the decision to enter the embassy was made by President Daniel Noboa after considering Glas’ “imminent flight risk” and exhausting possibilities for diplomatic dialogue with Mexico.

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