Brazilian authorities have arrested 10 people suspected of planning terrorist attacks during next month’s Rio Olympics. According to investigators, the leader of the group was in Curitiba in the south of the country, and the rest were in other different cities.
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He said authorities learned the group had been in talks with clandestine arms dealers in Paraguay about acquiring an AK-47 assault rifle but that there was no confirmation any purchase was made.
A group of the Brazilian jihadists, named Ansar al-Khilafah, Brasil claimed about their loyalty to the ISIS and revealed a list of 17 methods they are going to use to carry out terror acts during the Olympic Games in Rio-de-Janeiro.
The Justice Minister said while the 10 were disorganized and “complete amateurs and ill-prepared” to actually carry out an attack at the Olympics, the threat had to be taken seriously.
According to reports, there’s a huge risk of Rio de Janeiro being attacked by terrorists during the Olympic Games.
Brazil’s Interim President has called an emergency cabinet meeting following the arrests, the first under Brazil’s tough new anti-terrorism law approved this year.
Brazilian and US officials have raised concern over the disappearance of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Jihad Diyab, after he had resettled in neighboring Uruguay, saying he could now be in Brazil. It was unclear whether those detained on Thursday have any relation with that group.
The arrests were ordered after the group’s members agreed online to begin “martial arts training and shooting lessons”, which authorities interpreted as a real threat and the start of preparations for a possible terrorist attack during the Olympic Games, which will run from August 5 to August 21.
Officials said the people arrested had communicated with one another via mobile messaging services.
Last week, Brazil’s top military aide said concerns over terrorism had “reached a higher level” after the attack in Nice, France.
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This post was syndicated from pulse.ng – Nigeria’s entertainment & lifestyle platform online.
