Panama: explosive attack sets fire to home of La Prensa journalist Rolando Rodríguez

The attack

In the early hours of Saturday, 14 November, an explosive device set fire to the San Miguelito home of Rolando Rodríguez, a deputy director at the Panamanian daily La Prensa. According to the newspaper, a person stepped out of a taxi and threw a device that caused an explosion, which ignited the house and two vehicles parked in front of it. A security camera showed a man approaching the building with a backpack, and the flames spread from the parking area to the rest of the house within seconds. Rodríguez was not there when the fire started, but his wife was inside and got out in time without injury. San Miguelito is a densely populated district next to Panama City.

Rodríguez's reporting

Rodríguez, who also works in the team of the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP), was reportedly about to publish a story involving 'former officials of this government and a significant state contractor', according to La Prensa. His most recent CLIP project, Negocios de Familia, was published in June and July and examined alleged links between the Panamanian businessmen Roberto and Ramón Carretero Napolitano, former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and the Cuban government. Earlier that week the paper received a letter from the lawyer of the Carretero businessmen warning that Rodríguez's texts damaged their clients' reputation. Roberto Carretero received a 2021 sentence for embezzlement. In 2025 the family sued Armando.info and La Prensa journalists for slander and libel, demanding one million dollars, but prosecutors dismissed the complaint in October for lack of evidence. Vicente Carretero, one of the brothers, later moved directly against Rodríguez and La Prensa. Whether the attack is linked to this reporting is still an open question.

Investigation and official response

Panama's prosecutors opened an investigation into the case, and the Attorney General's office is examining possible arson. The National Police is also investigating the fire, and no suspect has been named in the reports. Rodríguez described the attack as 'a warning' and as a 'terrorist attack' during a press conference, saying the person responsible wanted to strike at free expression.

“The person who carried out this cowardly attack wanted to attack the values of democracy and freedom of expression of everyone.”

Reactions from the president and press groups

President José Raúl Mulino condemned the attack on X and said he had expressed solidarity to the director of La Prensa, one of the largest newspapers in the country.

“Panama does not accept this type of act under any circumstances.”

The Inter American Press Society (SIP) called the attack a 'brutal attack' and demanded protection for the journalist and his family.

“an attack of extreme gravity that demands an immediate investigation, the clarification of the facts and protection guarantees for the journalist and his family.”

Press freedom context

Physical attacks on journalists are very sporadic in Panama, and violent acts against reporters are rare in the Central American country. In the press freedom ranking of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Panama is 65th of 180 countries examined, placing it in the middle of the field, while Germany is 14th.

Panama65

Germany14

Panama

65 rank of 180 countries

Germany

14 rank of 180 countries

Data from the article text