QUITO, Ecuador (AP) Mexicos government severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats.

Ecuadorian police late Friday broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges .

The raid prompted Mexicos President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador to announce the breaking off of diplomatic relations with Ecuador on Friday evening, while his governments foreign relations secretary said the move will be challenged at the World Court in The Hague.