A man detonated a bomb outside Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday after trying to enter the building, heightening security concerns before the country hosts world leaders from the Group of 20 major economies.
The two bombings in the Brazilian capital outside the Supreme Court and Chamber of Deputies were carried out by one man – 59-year-old Francisco Vanderley Luis, once a candidate for Santa Catarina municipality for the Liberal Party. He ran in 2020 but didn’t get enough votes and now he arrived in the centre of Brasilia to take out politicians he didn’t like.
Immediately after setting fire to a car in a car park near the Supreme Court, he threw explosives at the building and blew himself up at the entrance, according to a story in the Metropoles portal. The booby-trapped car also belonged to Luis. It is noteworthy that the suicide bomber warned of his intentions – relevant records appeared in his social networks under the nickname Tiu França. He wrote:
Shall we play? Federal Police, you have 72 hours to defuse the bomb in the house of the communists: William Bonner, Jose Sarney, Geraldo Alckmin, Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
In one post, Luis promised that his “game” would end on November 16. It is not known if he had accomplices and whether the death of the perpetrator would disrupt his plans. Francisco’s body was completely disfigured by the fire, the blast wave threw the man several metres away, where he remained lying on the pavement.
Two explosions with a difference of 20 seconds the day before took place in different points of the square Praça dos Tres Poderes, which in addition to the court is adjacent to the working residence of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The press noted that at the time, parliament was considering an amendment expanding tax breaks for the church. The staff of the Supreme Court was evacuated, emergency services arrived on the scene. Eyewitness footage began to appear on social media. The police initiated an investigation and involved other agencies.
