Former Guatemalan prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa shot dead at Guatemala City sports complex

Guatemalan police say they have arrested two men after the killing of former prosecutor and anticorruption lawyer Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa at a sports complex in Guatemala City. The attack took place on Saturday at the Campo Marte sports complex, where Foppa was shot during a visit. Another man, Gustavo Adolfo Aguilar Gamarro, also died in the incident, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Police said they seized a carbine-style firearm and a motorcycle in connection with the case. The arrests were announced shortly after the shooting, but officials have not yet publicly detailed a motive. Foppa was 43 and had been known for high-profile cases against powerful businessmen in Guatemala, as well as for denouncing wrongdoing by politicians, business leaders and companies.

President Bernardo Arevalo condemned the killing and said both the direct perpetrators and those who ordered the crime must face the full weight of the law. He said he had instructed his government to coordinate with the relevant authorities to solve the case. In his public remarks, he also rejected the idea that violence could intimidate the people of Guatemala or his administration.

The killing is significant because Foppa was a prominent figure in Guatemala's legal and anti-corruption circles. He previously headed the Criminal Investigations Directorate within the Public Prosecutor's Office and later led the country's tax authority, known as SAT, from 2016 to 2018. During that period, he helped prosecute dozens of powerful business figures and recover unpaid taxes, placing him at the centre of several sensitive cases.

His career also intersected with wider disputes over corruption, criminal networks and judicial independence in Guatemala. In 2023, he briefly joined the defence team of journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, who has become a symbol of resistance to the criminalisation of journalism in Central America. In 2025, Foppa alleged links between the Barrio 18 gang and the National Unity of Hope party, as well as connections between criminal gangs and the judicial system.

What remains unclear is whether the attack was directly linked to any of those past cases or allegations. Police have said two suspects are in custody, but they have not yet released a full account of the circumstances or identified any wider network behind the shooting. The next developments to watch are the findings of the investigation, any formal charges, and whether officials establish a motive connected to Foppa's work.

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