Julio César Portillo Paz died after gunmen attacked him in Rio Hondo, eastern Guatemala. Congress and his party confirmed his death after initial accounts said he had been hospitalised with serious injuries. President Bernardo Arévalo said police officers also died and ordered security agencies to cooperate with prosecutors. The attackers and motive remain unknown.
Guatemalan lawmaker Julio César Portillo Paz was killed in an armed attack in Rio Hondo, a town in the eastern department of Zacapa, on Friday. President Bernardo Arévalo condemned the attack, in which police officers also died.[1], [2]
Portillo had first been taken to hospital with serious injuries. His party, the National Unity of Hope, later confirmed his death. Congress also issued a statement naming him as the representative of the Zacapa district.[1]
Arévalo said the police officers had died in the line of duty and instructed security institutions to cooperate with prosecutors investigating the killings. The attackers and their motives remain unidentified. The investigation concerns the attack on Portillo and the officers in Rio Hondo.[1]
Portillo entered Congress after winning a seat for the Cabal party in 2023, then switched to the National Unity of Hope. The party is led by Sandra Torres, a former presidential candidate. Guatemala is expected to hold a presidential election next year. Zacapa lies along drug-trafficking routes in eastern Guatemala. Authorities have announced no attribution of the attack to a trafficking organisation and no connection to the earlier killing of former anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa in Guatemala City.[1]
