A Guatemalan lawmaker and three police officers have been killed in an armed attack in the country's eastern department of Zacapa, prompting President Bernardo Arévalo to condemn the violence and order a full investigation.

Congressman Julio César Portillo Paz was targeted on Friday in the municipality of Río Hondo, Zacapa. He was initially rushed to hospital with serious gunshot wounds but later died, his political party, the National Unity of Hope (UNE), confirmed.

The three National Civil Police (PNC) officers were also killed during the attack. President Arévalo said they had died in the line of duty and instructed security forces to work closely with the Public Ministry, the country's prosecutorial authority, to establish the circumstances of the killings and identify those responsible.

"We will not allow criminal violence to prevail over the lives and safety of Guatemalans," Arévalo said in a post on X, extending his condolences to the victims' families.

The Interior Ministry said the officers had responded to the attack in an effort to protect the lawmaker. The three officers were identified as Jorge Paau Xicol, Erick Armides Ramos Osorio and Fernando Reyes Aldana, according to Vice President Karin Herrera.

The assailants fled the scene, and authorities had not announced any arrests or established a motive as of Saturday.

The attack occurred in Zacapa, a region known for drug trafficking activity and the presence of powerful criminal networks. The Lorenzana family cartel, which has links to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, has historically controlled much of the drug trade in the department.

Portillo was elected to Congress in 2023 under the opposition Cabal party before later joining UNE, led by former first lady Sandra Torres, who is expected to run in Guatemala's 2027 presidential election.

The killings come approximately three weeks after former anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa was shot dead in Guatemala City on October 17, raising renewed concerns about organized crime and politically motivated violence in the Central American country.

However, authorities have not established any connection between the two attacks. (ILKHA)