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Federal Police investigate explosions in Brasília as terrorist attack

Extremist groups are active, the director‑general of the police said
Paula Laboissière
Published on 14/11/2024 - 14:52
Brasília
Brasília (DF), 14/11/2024 - O ditetor-geral da Polícia Federal, Andrei Rodrigues, durante entrevista coletiva sobre a investigação dos atentados com bomba ocorridos próximo ao Supremo Tribunal Federal. Foto: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
© Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

The director-general of the Brazilian Federal Police, Andrei Passos Rodrigues, said on Thursday (Nov. 14) that the explosions recorded in Brasília Wednesday night (13) are not an “isolated event,” adding that the corporation’s anti-terrorism unit has been called in to help.

“I’d like to start by noting the seriousness of the situation we faced yesterday. All of this points to the fact that these extremist groups are active, which requires us to act forcefully—not just the Federal Police, but the entire criminal justice system,” he declared.

“We understand that yesterday’s episode is not an isolated event. It’s connected to several other actions that the Federal Police have been investigating in recent times,” he went on to say.

During a press conference at the corporation’s headquarters in Brasília, Passos said he had ordered the opening of a police investigation and the referral of the case to the Supreme Court, as the incident could be seen as an attack on the democratic rule of law or a terrorist act.

“We are dealing with these cases from both perspectives and that’s why our anti-terrorism unit is acting directly,” he stated.