Jair Bolsonaro’s call to arms inspired Brazil bomb plot, police told
- The man accused of trying to set off an explosive device near Brasilia’s airport says the president’s sowing of election doubts prompted him to build an arsenal
- Tensions remain high after Bolsonaro’s defeat by leftist Lula da Silva, and authorities say security needs to be strengthened for the new leader’s inauguration
A man arrested for attempting to set off a bomb in protest against Brazil’s election result was inspired to build up an arsenal by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s call to arms, according to a copy of his police testimony seen by Reuters.
George Washington de Oliveira Sousa was arrested on Saturday, the day after police said they foiled his plot to set off an explosive device near the Brasilia airport.
The incident added a new dimension to post-election violence in Brazil, where tensions remain high after the most fraught election in a generation.
Incoming Justice Minister Flavio Dino said in a television interview on Monday that security would need to be strengthened for Sunday’s inauguration of leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated the incumbent Bolsonaro.
“We’re not talking about a lone wolf,” Dino said of Sousa. “There are powerful people behind this and the police will investigate. We won’t allow political terrorism in Brazil.”