About 130 officers took part in the operation in which 10 were arrested and two more were temporarily detained, the statement said.
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The police operation came as terror-related web “chatter” in Brazil is on the rise, said Robert Muggah, research director of Rio-based security think tank Igarapé Institute.
A group of 10 suspected terrorists was arrested in Brazil for planning to cause mayhem during Olympics. Moraes said there were no specific targets for an attack.
They were not recruited by Islamic State and were not in contact with the terror group, Moraes said, although the Brazil group’s leader expressed a desire to travel to meet Islamic State members.
Another source of concern is that southern Brazil, where some of the Arab community settled, is an area where weapons are one of many contraband products frequently smuggled across porous borders with Paraguay and Argentina.
But Moraes reiterated that authorities are more concerned about street crime during the games than terrorism.
“It was a cell of complete amateurs, disorganized” but a threat nevertheless, according to the minister, who said “no serious security force can ignore this” despite the group’s apparent lack of coordination.
She said her husband did not resist arrest and that police seized a computer and an e-book after searching their home.
“The investigations began in April with the accompaniment of social networks by the federal police anti-terrorism division”. Those involved took part in a virtual group called “Defenders of Sharia’ and planned to acquire arms to commit crimes in Brazil and overseas”, the ministry said in a statement.
The group called itself the “Defenders of Sharia” and was made up of 12 Brazilian citizens who reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and had been in contact with each other through WhatsApp and Telegram. “Brazil you are next”, it warned.
Safety is always a priority for an Olympics host city, but the dangers facing the Rio games seem to have increased over the last few months. A nonprofit organization is also being investigated, the document said.
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“It was an amateur cell without any planned preparation”, the minister said.
