The home of Panamanian journalist Rolando Rodríguez was the target of an arson attack during the early hours of this Saturday in Panama City. The also deputy associate editor of the newspaper The Press He was part of the team that investigated the commercial networks between businessmen from his country and the Cuban regime, and this current incident constitutes the first attack of this nature against an informant in the Central American nation, according to reports from Cuban Diary, The Press and Transparency Venezuela.
The incident occurred around 2:30 in the morning in the San Miguelito district. Rodríguez was outside the property at the time of the event, while his wife, who was inside, managed to evacuate without suffering injuries. The flames charred two cars parked in the garage and caused structural damage to the property before being put out by the fire department.
Records from a neighboring video surveillance camera captured a subject who got out of a taxi with a backpack on his chest, approached the home and threw a device that caused the explosion. After learning of the incident, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) “strongly” condemned the attack, classifying it as “extremely serious,” and demanded an urgent investigation as well as protection measures for the communicator and his family, with no arrests made so far.
From Transparencia Venezuela we denounce that Panamanian journalist Rolando Rodríguez suffered an attack in his home in the San Miguelito district. A man, who was recorded on camera, approached his property and, within minutes, the flare was seen that destroyed two cars that were in the garage and affected a part of his home. The events occurred around 2:30 in the morning. https://t.co/nYCUQkctDA
— Vzla Transparency (@NoMasGuiso) November 14, 2026
Rodríguez was a member of the transnational journalistic alliance “Family Business”, promoted by the Latin American Center for Journalistic Investigation (CLIP) in conjunction with The Press, Armando.infoTransparency Venezuela and Cuban Diary. This investigation revealed the financial operations of the Panamanian Carretero Napolitano family with Chavismo and the Havana authorities, detailing how companies linked to Ramón Carretero Napolitano accumulated more than 800 million dollars in Venezuelan state contracts since 2014 and triangulated oil shipments to the Island. The report also documented connections with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, alias “El Cangrejo” and grandson of Raúl Castrothrough flight records shared with Ramón Carretero.
Between July and September of this year, the reporter co-wrote the works “Destination Cuba: the lost trace of Venezuelan oil” and “Ramón Carretero and the business of scarcity in Cuba.” At the time of the attack, he was finalizing a new report focused on the commercial activities in Panama of Roberto Carretero, Ramón’s brother. Just a few hours before the fire, on Friday, the editorial office of The Press received a letter from Roberto Carretero’s legal defense warning that the article in preparation “would affect the honor of his client.”
The brothers Ramón, Vicente and Roberto Carretero have been on the sanctioned list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury since December 2025. Previously, in October 2026, the business group filed a criminal complaint for slander and slander against the journalist Sabrina Bacal and the portals Armando.info y Praxisan appeal that was provisionally filed by the Prosecutor’s Office due to the absence of evidence.
Source: www.cuballama.com
