Security scheme in Brasília bolstered with 651 police from 16 states

A total of 651 police officers from 16 Brazilian states should arrive in Brasília in the next few days to add to the contingent of the country’s National Public Security Force. The move comes as another preventive step in the wake of the attacks reported in the capital Sunday (Jan. 8), when far-right radicals stormed and ravaged the Planalto presidential palace, the National Congress, and the Supreme Court.

A total of 233 of these agents have arrived in Brasília and will join in the policing of the Esplanade of Ministries, which leads to the square where the seat of the Brazilian government is located.

National Secretary of Public Security Tadeu Alencar underscored integration and solidarity. “At such a serious moment, when democracy and republican institutions are being attacked, society must join efforts to confront those who dared to defy the laws of the country and the Constitution,” he declared.

On Monday (9), state governors met in Brasília with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other top officials from all branches of power to reaffirm their support for democracy and condemn the attempted institutional rupture in the country.

Among the commitments was to help the federal government ensure security against further violent and anti-democratic attacks.