Shooting of Indonesian diplomat in Peru investigated as a contract killing

LIMA, Peru — Peruvian authorities on Tuesday said they are investigating the shooting death of an Indonesian diplomat as a contract killing amid a surge in violent crime in the South American country.

Zetro Leonardo Purba, 40, who worked at the Indonesian Embassy in Peru’s capital, Lima, was shot three times Monday night as he arrived on a bicycle at his apartment building. Authorities said Purba was taken to a hospital but was later declared dead.

Officials didn’t immediately provide a motive for the shooting. But Interior Minister Carlos Malaver told lawmakers the attack was a “qualified homicide in the form of a contract killing.”

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 then show the suspect shooting the diplomat a third time and fleeing on a motorcycle driven by another person.

Malaver added that nothing was stolen from the diplomat, who had arrived in Peru five months ago and was working as a junior officer in the embassy. He had a wife and three children.

“They were waiting for him and the bullets hit him in the head; they wanted to kill him,” Malaver said of the suspects.

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.

Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the homicide “will be thoroughly investigated and all necessary assistance and protection will be provided” to Indonesia’s ambassador and embassy staff. Foreign Affairs Minister Elmer Schialer later told reporters that Peru’s main problem is “insecurity” and acknowledged that the diplomat’s slaying is “one more wake-up call” regarding the issue.

The government of Peruvian 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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