Brazilian security forces in the area of Brasilia where the explosive device was found on Saturday ADRIANO MACHADO (Portal)
Brazilian police arrested a supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro on Christmas Eve for attempting to blow up a truck loaded with fuel near Brasilia airport. For weeks, the man spent weeks visiting the camp outside army headquarters, where dozens of radical Bolsonarists are asking the military to intervene to prevent President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking power. The arrest comes a week after the inauguration on January 1, when Brasilia will take shelter to receive dozens of heads of state and a crowd intending to celebrate the left’s return to power.
On the 24th, the truck driver called the police when he noticed a suspicious box next to his vehicle. Agents cordoned off the area and found dynamite with a timer on it. Although there were two small explosions, no serious damage was reported. The device was deactivated by the anti-bomb squad and a few hours later the perpetrator of the frustrated attack, who confessed his intentions, was arrested. “I wanted to wreak havoc. Their aim was to draw attention to the very movement they are involved in,” said Federal District Civil Police Commissioner General Robson Cândido, speaking to journalists. According to investigators, the original idea had been to place the explosives near a pole to damage power distribution throughout the city, but at the last moment they decided to place the box next to the truck carrying kerosene supplies was loaded by airplanes.
The arrested man, identified as George Sousa, is a businessman from the state of Pará (more than 1,900 kilometers north of Brasilia) and has traveled to the capital in recent months to take part in the coup movements challenging the outcome of the elections. He shared a rented apartment with others involved in the crime. In the building, the police found a veritable arsenal: two rifles, one rifle, two revolvers, three pistols, hundreds of ammunition and camouflage uniforms, and five explosive mixtures.
“The police authorities in Brasilia will take all measures to arrest anyone who violates the democratic rule of law, mainly with threats and now with bombs. Nothing like this has ever happened in Brasilia and we won’t let it happen,” the commissioner promised. Police were also surprised by the December 12 violence in the normally quiet Brazilian capital. On that day, the electoral justice system awarded Lula the diploma recognizing him as President with all laws. At night, dozens of Bolsonaristas burned down cars and buses and tried to break into federal police headquarters. Despite the heavy vandalism, no arrests were made.
After the news of the bomb near the airport, future justice minister Flávio Dino indicated on social media that the new government would not be so tolerant of the far-right protests. “Yesterday’s grave events in Brasilia prove that the alleged ‘patriot’ camps have become terrorist hotbeds. Measures will be taken and expanded as soon as possible,” he promised.
The alarm in Brasilia comes a few days after Lula’s inauguration, a particularly delicate moment. According to forecasts, more than 300,000 people from across Brazil will attend the ceremony, which will be attended by at least 17 heads of state, a record number, as well as dozens of representatives from other countries.
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