A man carrying explosives died Wednesday evening in Brasilia after trying in vain to enter the building of the Supreme Court of Brazil, a attack
missed according to the authorities.
This attempted attack targeting a major institution of Brazilian democracy awakens memories of the far-right riots against the seats of the executive, legislative and judicial branches in the same square in the capital in January 2023.
It also takes place in a particularly strong context: left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is hosting a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next week and a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Brasilia.
The body found “still loaded with explosives”
First there was the explosion of (a) car
then a individual approached the Federal Supreme Court, tried to enter, did not succeed and the explosion occurred in front of the door
declared the governor of Brasilia, Celina Leao, to the press.
According to preliminary information, it was a suicide
continued the governor. She mentioned the track of a lone wolf
while explaining that it was not possible at the moment to determine his identity because the body is still loaded with explosives
.
The Supreme Court is located on the Place des Trois-Pouvoirs, where it faces the presidential palace and the Parliament.
A “kind of bomb” found in the car
Police conducting a patrol spotted the vehicle on fire and surrounded by smoke and saw the individual rushing out, reported Sergeant Santos, of the Federal District Military Police (which includes Brasilia).
There is some kind of bomb in the car, several explosives connected by bricks, but it did not completely catch fire.
he detailed.
The federal police announced that they had opened an investigation into the attacks
without further details.
A little earlier, a photographer from Agence France Presse (AFP) had seen the lifeless body of a man on site. We can confirm that there is a body before the Federal Supreme Court
confirmed a spokesperson for the federal police.
The court initially announced that at the end of Wednesday’s session, two loud explosions were heard and the judges were evacuated from the building for safety
. Staff on site were also evacuated as a precaution
.
The specter of January 8, 2023
The presidential palace is closed and no one can enter, noted an AFP photographer. In pouring rain, the entire square was cordoned off by an imposing deployment of security forces.
Laiana Costa, an official at the Union Audit Court, another official body, told local media she saw a man pass
: Suddenly I heard a noise, I looked behind, there was fire and smoke
.
On January 8, 2023, a week after Lula’s return to power, thousands of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, his far-right predecessor defeated in the presidential election at the end of 2022, stormed and ransacked the seats of institutions on the square. of the Three Powers.
The authorities finally regained control of the situation in the face of Bolsonarist rioters contesting the defeat of their champion, but the damage was considerable.
The attacks of January 8 were very significant, sad too, and of course led to changing the security rules of all the powers, of all the buildings housing the three powers
noted the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco.
Among other sensitive investigations, Alexandre de Moraes, a powerful judge of the Supreme Court, is leading the investigations into this alleged attempt to coup d’état
.
Lula will host a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday and Tuesday, bringing together most of the leaders of the world’s main economies.
On Wednesday, he is due to receive the Chinese president on a state visit to Brasilia.
