Speaking at a press conference in the capital Brasilia, Moraes called them an “amateur” and “disorganised” terror cell.
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The loosely organised group were all Brazilian citizens and in contact via internet messaging groups such as WhatsApp and Telegram, but did not know each other personally, the minister said.
A group of 10 suspected terrorists was arrested in Brazil for planning to cause mayhem during Olympics.
He also said that the group tried to purchase guns online, something an organized group would never do.
Of the many challenges facing Brazilian officials charged with ensuring a successful Olympics next month, security at the Games undoubtedly tops the list.
The arrests took place in the southern state of Parana, about 15 hours away from Rio de Janeiro where the games will be held in roughly two weeks.
Federal police are monitoring about 100 people for possible links to terrorist groups, mostly in the porous tri-border region with Paraguay and Argentina, a presidential aide said on Thursday, requesting anonymity to speak freely.
Newton de Oliveira, a professor and security specialist at Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Rio de Janeiro, applauded authorities for detecting the group, saying recent world events raised worries about terrorism during the sporting event.
The suspects have been accused of promoting propaganda from the so-called Islamic State group and allegedly had been in online contact with members of the terrorist group.
It’s another example of Brazil being in complete disarray, and many wonder whether or not the Olympic games will actually happen.
“There was an order between them to start training in martial arts”, de Moraes said.
As many as 700,000 visitors are expected to attend, as well as 12,000 athletes and scores of heads of states and high government officials.
Last week, Brazil said it was bolstering security for the August 5-21 Olympics following the deadly lorry attack in the French city of Nice, which killed 84 people and left scores badly wounded.
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Mr.de Moraes has said that foreign intelligence agencies are assisting with efforts for the games, and said today that they were involved in gathering the information that led to these arrests.
