Brazil police probe plot to carry out election attacks

Police have seized electronic devices and are investigating how organized the group was and how far any plans had progressed. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a ceremony to sanction the law that establishes Aug. 1 as the National Maracatu Day, at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, on Nov. 12, 2024. (Wilton Junior/Estadao Contenudo Agência Estado via AFP) Brazilian security officials said Tuesday they were investigating eight suspects accused of plotting on Telegram to carry out attacks in the capital during October’s election, in which President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seeking a fourth term. Intercepted communications showed the suspects, ages 19 to 31, were planning “severe acts of violence” targeting the presidential palace, Congress, the Supreme Court and various ministries in Brasilia, Victor Fernandes, the Justice Ministry’s digital rights secretary, said. Fernandes told a news conference the suspects were members of “two public groups on the Telegram platform that shared information regarding the planning of attacks in Brasilia” during the election period. They were conspiring against “the political system as a whole, without specifying left or right” and without targeting specific officials by name, Maurilio Coelho, head of intelligence for the Brasilia Civil Police, said. The suspects are from five states, do not know one another personally and do not have criminal records, Coelho said. One is a seminarian at a monastery in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. According to a police statement, the group exchanged messages about traveling to Brasilia, storming government buildings, choosing targets, recruiting people from different states and conducting tactical training. They also allegedly shared building plans and 3D models of government buildings in the capital, as well as “manuals for the manufacture of explosive devices.” The investigation began after authorities received information from a cybercrimes intelligence unit. Police have seized electronic devices and are investigating how organized the group was and how far any plans had progressed. Authorities have asked the National Data Protection Agency — an independent public body — to investigate whether Telegram failed in its duty to “prevent the mass circulation of criminal content,” Fernandes said. In April, Brazil passed a law tightening regulations governing the liability of digital platforms and social media companies for content shared by their users. In the Oct. 4 presidential election, Lula will face right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The 71-year-old former leader is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup after losing his 2022 reelection bid. Hundreds of Jair Bolsonaro supporters were convicted in connection with the January 2023 storming of government buildings and the Supreme Court in Brasilia, a week after Lula took office. Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.