Brazilian security forces, this Sunday in Brasilia CARL DE SOUZA (AFP)
The inauguration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took place amidst heavy security and without serious incidents, albeit with some scares. In the morning, police arrested a man who tried to gain access to the square in front of the Planalto Palace with a knife and firecrackers. According to military police, the man came from Rio de Janeiro to attend the event. The items were found during the security check of everyone present. There were more than 40,000 people alone in the square where the Presidential Palace is located, where Lula delivered his speech to the people.
The other shock of the day happened in the afternoon. A drone flying illicitly over the central region of Brasilia was shot down by a federal police agent. The weapon used by the police emits a frequency that disrupts communications between the drone and its pilot, allowing the officer to land the drone in a safe area. There is currently no information about the potential danger of the device or about the identity of its owner.
The day Lula takes office drew more than 300,000 people from all corners of the country, and ensuring their safety, that of the president and foreign authorities, has been an obsession in recent days. Nearly 700 federal police officers, Bomb Squad, plainclothes agents and snipers participated in the comprehensive security program, in addition to all members of the federal district’s fire and military police and National Force agents.
The Esplanada de los Ministerios, where Lula paraded in the President’s Rolls Royce, was blocked off with miles of fences and entry to the site required a search. The bags and backpacks magazine caused huge queues but ensured the security of the event. It was speculated until the last minute that Lula decided to hold the traditional parade in an armored car for security reasons, but in the end the tradition was fulfilled. Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and their wives paraded standing and naked on the Rolls Royce.
The fear of what could happen this Sunday was not unfounded. On Christmas Eve, police arrested a Bolsonarista who tried to blow up a truck loaded with fuel near Brasilia airport. He is in custody and is charged with terrorism. Days earlier, when Lula received his presidential diploma, dozens of Bolsonaro supporters also caused serious incidents: they tried to break into federal police headquarters, threw stones at the agents, and set cars and buses on fire.
The specter of the attack on the Washington Capitol by Donald Trump’s supporters has also long hung over Brasilia, particularly due to the presence of radical Bolsonaristas camped in front of the army headquarters, just a few kilometers from where Lula’s office was captured. Despite the fact that numbers were shrinking, the continued proclamations of the coup and the thwarted attempt at a terrorist attack caused concern. The new justice minister, Flávio Dino, described these camps as “terrorist incubators” and promised to end the loose sleeve with these supporters of the extreme right.
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