Blast in Brasilia, Brazil: Explosives and watches found on suspect’s body after attack on upper runway

CNN
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A man killed himself while detonating explosives after trying to enter Brazil’s Supreme Court in Brasilia on Wednesday, an attempted attack that appeared to be politically motivated and came as the country’s top court is under pressure from cases on disinformation and extremism.

The suspected attacker, Francisco Wanderley Luiz, was affiliated with former President Jair Bolsonaro’s right-wing Liberal Party after running for local elections in 2020, CNN affiliate CNN Brasil reported Thursday, citing federal police.

Police found messages on Luiz’s social media criticizing and threatening government authorities, CNN Brasil reported.

The Left condemned the attack in a statement issued on X, calling it “a serious act” and saying that attacks on public institutions go against the party’s principles.

Luiz’s ex-wife told police she believed his goal was to kill Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, according to CNN Brasil. Brazilian authorities are still investigating the motive.

Moraes warned that the attack was symptomatic of a broader effort to instigate hate speech against state institutions, a sentiment he said has grown under “a false blanket of a criminal use of free speech — insult, threaten, push.”

“Nowhere in the world is this freedom of expression: This is a crime,” Moraes added

Moraes and other Supreme Court justices have become frequent targets of criticism as the court expanded its authority over cases involving political extremism, disinformation and threats to the democratic order.

Moraes himself rose to international prominence in August when he ordered a nationwide ban on social media platform X for refusing to suspend accounts that contained hate speech or misinformation.

The order escalated a months-long feud with Elon Musk, who called him “an evil dictator” and angered Bolsonaro supporters. In October, the court approved the platform to resume service after complying with the account ban.

While some see this expansion of power as crucial to protecting Brazil’s democracy, critics have ruled it a legal overreach aimed at limiting conservative votes.

Over the past few years, there has been growing discontent with the court as it has expanded its authority over cases involving political extremism, disinformation and threats to the democratic order.

In August, the Supreme Court ordered the suspension of social media X nationwide after Musk refused to name a legal representative in the country.

Luiz had been in Brasilia several times since the beginning of the year and there are signs that he had been planning the bombing for some time, Federal Police Director General Andrei Rodrigues said at a press conference on Thursday morning.

Rodrigues said the attempted attack is linked to several other investigations being carried out by the federal police, despite former officials characterizing Luiz as a “lone wolf”.

“These extremist groups are active and we need to act quickly,” Rodrigues said, adding that the explosives found at the site were homemade but with a high damage capacity.

The first car bomb exploded near the congress building at 7:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. ET), Federal District Deputy Governor Celina Leão told reporters late Wednesday.

The suspect then tried to enter the Supreme Court building but was unable to do so and a second explosion occurred just outside the front doors. There were no other victims of the attack, she said.

The Court and Congress, both still in session, were evacuated. Staff and lawmakers were brought to safety as police conducted an hour-long sweep of Three Powers Plaza.

The damaged car found at the scene was registered to Luiz. The Federal Police’s anti-terrorist unit is investigating the explosions as a suicide attack.

The square was the site of mass protests and attacks on January 8, 2023, when supporters of Bolsonaro stormed the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential offices. Investigations into how security in all three buildings failed to contain protesters led to the temporary suspension of the governor of the Federal District and the dismissal of 87 members of the security forces.

The Supreme Court’s handling of the January 8 trial of the rioters and the investigation into Bolsonaro’s potential involvement in inciting the violence sparked more criticism of the court by some.

Justice Minister Jorge Messias promised to speed up the police investigation. “We need to understand the motivation behind these attacks, as well as to restore peace and security as soon as possible,” Messias wrote on X.

The incident comes five days before Brazil prepares to host global leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Rio de Janeiro. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a state visit to Brasilia on November 20, and US President Joe Biden is due to visit the Amazon rainforest on Sunday before attending the G20.

This story has been updated.