One dead after explosions near Brazil’s Supreme Court

BRASILIA (Brazil): The federal police in Brazil have started an investigation after explosions took place in the country’s capital, Al Jazeera reported. The explosions left one person dead.

According to Al Jazeera, the blasts took place at the end of the Supreme Court session on Wednesday. The court was evacuated, as plumes of smoke and fire were visible from the air.

“Police officers from the Tactical Operations Command, the Rapid Intervention Group of the PF Regional Superintendence in the Federal District, experts and the institution’s Bomb Control Group were called in, and are carrying out initial security actions and analyzing the site”, a press statement issued by the Brazil Police said.

According to Al Jazeera, the federal police indicated it had deployed a rapid intervention group and a bomb control squad to the area, known as Brasilia’s Three Powers Plaza.

In a statement issued by Brazil’s Supreme Court, it was noted, “Two loud bangs were heard and the ministers were safely removed from the building. The servers and collaborators of the headquarters building were removed as a precautionary measure”.

The Supreme Court said that the investigation is under way and they are waiting for the facts to come out. It was also noted that the President of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Luis Roberto Barroso spoke with the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva along with other senior officials of the country.

Al Jazeera reported that the Supreme Court buildings will undergo a complete sweep in the early hours of Thursday morning. The office hours were suspended until noon in all buildings, and the situation will be reassessed throughout the morning

Local media have reported that the explosions took place near the Supreme Court and along a street near an annexe building, where a car was parked. Some witnesses said they saw smoke pouring from the car’s boot before the second explosion in front of the court. No motive has been released yet in Wednesday’s bombing incident, nor has a suspect been identified.

O Governo do Distrito Federal está no comando e empenhado em garantir a segurança e tranquilidade de todos. Estamos trabalhando com toda a força de nossa segurança pública para assegurar que as informações sejam atualizadas e verídicas, transmitidas diretamente pelas nossas… pic.twitter.com/BSiA72xADB

— Celina Leão (@celinaleao) November 14, 2024

Al Jazeera noted that Celina Leao, the vice-governor of the Federal District, where the capital is located, said that at least one of the explosions coincided with an unknown individual approaching the doors of the Supreme Court. She indicated he was the same man reported dead in the explosion. She shared her press briefing on X.

The Three Powers Plaza is the seat of Brazil’s federal government: It contains the presidential palace, buildings for both chambers of Congress and the Supreme Court.

The blasts become a significant security concern as they occur days before the G20 conference is set to take place in Rio de Janeiro later this month. (ANI)