Guatemalan Anti-Corruption Lawyer Solorzano Foppa Shot Dead at a Football Field in the Capital

Developing story. Updated 00:15 UTC, Oct 18, 2026.

Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, one of Guatemala's best known anti-corruption lawyers, was shot dead on Saturday morning while playing football at a sports complex in Guatemala City, officials said. He was 43.

The attack happened at Campo Marte, a busy sports complex in Zone 5 in the east of the capital, where Solorzano Foppa often played at weekends. Armed men entered the pitch and shot him at close range, the EFE news agency reported. National Civil Police spokesman Cesar Mateo confirmed the death to EFE and said two suspects had been detained in a preliminary arrest. A second person also died in the attack and was not identified immediately, EFE reported. Police and prosecutors cordoned off the scene to start the investigation.

Reuters reported that police detained two men shortly after the attack and seized a carbine-style firearm and a motorcycle in connection with the case. Authorities have not announced a motive, and investigators have not said whether the killing was linked to Solorzano Foppa's work or his public allegations.

President condemns the killing

President Bernardo Arevalo condemned the attack on his official X account. "I strongly condemn the cowardly murder of former prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa. Both the direct perpetrators and those who ordered the crime must face the full weight of the law," he wrote, in comments reported by Reuters. He said he had instructed his government to coordinate with the authorities working to solve the crime. "Those who believe that terror can intimidate the people of Guatemala and the government I lead are mistaken," he added.

A career spent taking on the powerful

Solorzano Foppa first made his name inside the Public Prosecutor's Office, where he led criminal investigations work, and then as head of the SAT tax authority from 2016 to 2018. At the SAT he helped prosecute dozens of powerful business figures and forced companies to pay taxes they had avoided, Reuters reported. EFE reported that his criminal intelligence work contributed to the La Linea customs fraud case, which forced President Otto Perez Molina to resign in 2015.

He kept speaking out after leaving office. In 2025 he alleged a connection between the Barrio 18 gang and the National Unity of Hope party, and links between criminal gangs and the judicial system, Reuters reported. In 2023 he briefly joined the defence team of journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, who is under house arrest and has become an international symbol of resistance to the criminalisation of journalism in Central America.

Police said the investigation is continuing. This story will be updated as officials confirm more details.