Brazil probes Supreme Court bomb blasts as terrorist act

The attempted attack, which happened late Wednesday in the capital Brasilia, came as the country prepares to host leaders including US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next Monday and Tuesday.

The man believed to be the sole perpetrator died in the attack when he set off a blast outside the Supreme Court. He was the only casualty.

His body lay on the ground overnight while a bomb squad worked to remove a suspected detonator, before taking away the body early Thursday.

Federal police director Andrei Passos Rodrigues told a Brasilia news conference that the dead man, identified as Francisco Wanderley Luiz, 59, allegedly planned the attack over a long period and had apparently acted alone.

Nevertheless, Rodrigues warned that "this is not an isolated act" and "the extremists are active."

He said the attack could have been a "violent" attempt to overthrow "democratic rule of law."

The day after the attack, the Supreme Court building was surrounded by security fencing.

"Where did we lose the light of our affectionate, joyful and fraternal soul to the darkness of hatred, aggression and violence?" said Luis Roberto Barroso, president of the Brazilian Supreme Court, during a court session.

Luiz was a member of the far-right Liberal Party (PL) of former president Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters in January 2023 sought to violently take control of democratic institutions in Brasilia after Lula's return to power.

Bolsonaro on Thursday took to social media to denounce the overnight bomb attack as an isolated event. He called for "dialogue" to protect democracy in Brazil.

Around 7:30 pm (2230 GMT) on Wednesday, Luiz drove a bomb-laden car towards the Supreme Court, according to officials.

After fuses in the car caught fire and caused an initial blast that did not set off attached explosives, Luiz was seen exiting the vehicle and running towards the court entrance.

Seconds later, another blast occurred, killing Luiz in front of the court.

"We still do not know the motives of the crime," the police chief said.

But he said Luiz, the registered owner of the car, had for months been renting a place at a "strategic point" near the Supreme Court.

Inside the property, investigators found a message apparently voicing violent support for the 2023 insurrection and its sympathizers.

The square in front of the Supreme Court building is known as Praca dos Tres Poderes (Place of the Three Powers), also the location of Brazil's congress and presidential palace.

Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters in January 2023 stormed the three institutions, causing major damage before authorities reimposed order.

Alexandre de Moraes, a powerful Supreme Court justice who has drawn ire from the right, is leading the investigation into the apparent coup attempt, which resembled the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.

At the time of Wednesday's bomb attack, Lula had already left the presidential palace.

On Monday and Tuesday next week, the Brazilian president will host the G20 summit in Rio, which is under extraordinary security.

Brazilians strolling along Copacabana Beach on Thursday told AFP they were reassured by the strong police presence deployed for the summit.

"I think it will be safe here. I have never seen so many police in the streets as these days," said one Rio resident, Leandro Cariello, 75.

"I'm very confident that nothing will happen here. I believe a lot in our national security," said Flavia Reis, a 55-year-old beach worker.

Next Wednesday, Chinese President Xi is due to make a state visit to Brasilia, a day after the G20 summit in Rio wraps up.