Man with explosives dies in blast at Brazil’s Supreme Court

14 Nov, Brazilla : A man carrying explosives died in a blast as he attempted to attack Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, police said, days before the country hosts the G20 summit.

Brasilia vice governor Celina Leao said preliminary information suggested it was a “suicide”, and came seconds after an explosion in a nearby car that the man was seen getting out of.

“This citizen approached the Federal Supreme Court, tried to enter, failed, and the explosion happened at the entrance,” Leao told reporters, adding that no one else was hurt.

The body was found with “devices still on it”, she added.

“A police inquiry will be opened to investigate the attacks,” Federal Police said in a statement.

The man was named as Francisco Wanderley Luiz, a 2020 local council candidate for the Liberal Party of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to GloboNews network citing police documents.

A government employee in the capital, Laiana Costa, told local media that she saw the man pass by: “There was a noise, and I looked back and there was fire and smoke”.

Authorities have already heightened security in the country ahead of the two-day G20 summit starting on Monday, when world leaders including US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit. Xi is scheduled to travel to Brasilia for a state visit on Wednesday.

– Judges evacuated –

The Supreme Court said in a statement that two explosions happened at the end of Wednesday’s session and that the judges were safely evacuated.

The court is located in the Praca dos Tres Poderes, which also fronts onto the presidential palace and the Congress.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not in the palace at the time of the explosions, a spokesman said.
Jorge Messias, the Brazilian solicitor general, condemned the attacks.

“We need to understand the motivation behind the attacks, as well as restore peace and security as quickly as possible,” he posted on X.

The presidential palace was sealed off and a large police contingent deployed around the plaza.

Fabio Wajngarten, an adviser to Bolsonaro, warned against making generalisations over the incident.

“There are crazy people everywhere and from all political persuasions,” he posted on X. The same area was the scene of high drama last year.

On January 8, 2023, the seats of power in Brasilia were hit by an insurrection a week after Lula defeated the right-wing incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro at the polls.

Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters angry over his defeat stormed the government buildings, causing major damage before authorities managed to reimpose control.

The head of Brazil’s Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, said that rioting prompted “a change in security rules” for the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court.