LIMA, Peru (AP) — An Indonesian diplomat was shot dead in Peru’s capital as he arrived on a bicycle to his apartment building, police said Tuesday.
Police said the diplomat attached to the Indonesian Embassy in Lima was shot three times Monday night. Authorities said that the victim, Cetro Leonardo Purba, 40, was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Officials didn't immediately provide a motive for the shooting.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, in a statement, called for a “thorough, transparent, and expeditious investigation, as well as the maximum possible protection for diplomatic personnel and Indonesian citizens in Peru.” Sugiono, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.
Police released footage from two surveillance cameras that show a person wearing a helmet firing twice at the diplomat, who then falls to the ground. The images also show the suspect shooting the diplomat a third time and fleeing on a motorcycle driven by another person.
The government of President Dina Boluarte has struggled to respond to a rise in homicides and extortion in Peru. Official figures show that 6,041 people were killed between January and mid-August, the highest number during the same period since 2017. Meanwhile, extortion complaints totaled 15,989 between January and July, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
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