Attempted Bombing of Brazil Supreme Court
Elizabeth Denton
Staff Writer
An individual attempted to destroy Brazil’s Supreme Court building in November 13, raising concerns of radicalism and security amid the upcoming G20 conference. According to The Associated Press, a man attempted to enter the Supreme Court building but could not. Security camera footage shows the man approaching a statue outside the building, throwing an explosive retreating a few steps back, and throwing a second explosive. Finally, he throws the third explosive near himself, taking his own life with the blast. The police director said the Supreme Court had received threats through email but did not specify when the threats were sent or who they were from. The New York Times reports that one of the bombs exploded in the trunk of a car in a parking lot near the Supreme Court.
The main target of the bombing was Justice Alexandre de Moraes, reports The Guardian. Alexandre de Moraes is known for his public disagreement with Elon Musk after Brazil suspended the social media platform X for its refusal to suspend accounts accused of anti-democratic content and hate speech. Moraes is also the justice leading key investigations into the attempted 2023 coup against the Brazilian government.
In January 2023, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed and vandalized Brazil’s Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential offices to protest Bolsonaro’s loss in the presidential election. According to The New York Times, a few weeks before President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office, a man had attempted to detonate a bomb near an airport in Brasilia as another act of protest.
The explosions caused much concern not only due to the damage they caused, but also because where they occurred. The Supreme Court, presidential palace, and the Brazilian Congress are in Praça dos Três Poderes Sqaure,according to BBC . Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski has assured the public that police were investigating the motives behind the attack, which occurred days before Brazil is due to host the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro with multiple prominent world leaders expected to be in attendance. The attack also comes days before a scheduled visit to Brasilia by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Police have revealed that the bomber is Francisco Wanderley Luiz, a 59-year-old locksmith from Rio do Sul, located in southern Santa Catarina State. He ran for city council in 2020 under the Liberal Party, the party of former President Bolsonaro, but lost after receiving only ninety-eight votes. The perpetrator was the only casualty of the bombings, and all ministers were safely removed from the Supreme Court buildings at the first sound of explosions, reports Al Jazeera. The federal police deployed a rapid intervention group and bomb control squad to the area. The Chamber of Deputies has announced that it will suspend its activities until security is restored.
BBC reports that the attack was widely condemned by members of the Liberal Party. Former President Bolsonaro has called for Brazil to adopt an environment of unity and to hold space for different ideas to confront each other peacefully. Bolsonaro’s advisor, Fabio Wajngarten, has posted condemnations of the attack online.
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