Brazil’s federal police on Thursday arrested members of a group that was preparing “acts of terrorism”, a justice ministry source told Reuters, just over two weeks before the Olympics start in Rio de Janeiro.
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The minister said the group’s leader was based in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, with others spread across nine Brazilian states.
Federal police say those arrested are all Brazilian nationals, that they had no actual contact with the Islamic State but consumed media from the group online, and communicated with each other through the message services WhatsApp and Telegram. It says that 12 warrants have been issued for an initial 30 days, which could be extended if charges are substantiated.
An emergency cabinet meeting has been called.
The group had “no preparation at all” and was a “disorganized cell”, he said, adding that authorities chose to intervene when the group started planning actions including martial-arts training and the purchase of firearms.
The International Olympic Committee recently concluded that Rio de Janeiro had overcome setbacks and was “ready to welcome the world” to the 2016 Olympics.
Moraes says police acted because the group had been discussing the use of weapons and guerrilla tactics to potentially launch an attack during the Olympics, which begin August 5.
Mr. Moraes said that Thursday’s antiterror operation was the first of its kind in Brazil’s history. Several were allegedly trying to secure financing from the group, known by the acronym ISIS.
Moraes said some of its members had made “pro forma” declarations of allegiance to the Islamic State group. They go on to note that once in Brazil, weapons could easily be obtained in area slums for a small price. All those involved are reportedly Brazilian. The group also suggests pouring oil on highways so that they can “see Israeli Jews flying with their vehicle by the will of Allah”.
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Only three individuals are said to have traveled from Brazil to Syria or Iraq to fight with extremist groups there, according to The Soufan Group, compared with an estimated 1,700 from France and 250 from the U.S. Authorities have said they will be prepared and that some 85,000 police and soldiers will be patrolling during the competitions.
