“This citizen approached the Federal Supreme Court, tried to enter, failed and there was an explosion in front of the entrance,” Brasilia Governor Celina Leau told the press.
Based on initial information, it was a “suicide,” Ms. Leau added. “There is no one injured,” he added.
Federal police said they had begun an investigation into the “attacks” on the Supreme Court, without elaborating further.
The man was found dead in front of Brazil’s top judicial institution after two powerful explosions, which led to the hasty evacuation of all those in the building.
“We can confirm that there is a body in front of the Federal Supreme Court,” a spokesman for the federal police told AFP.
Earlier, with a press release published by the Supreme Court, it was stated that “two strong explosions were heard” and the judges, like all the staff, were hurriedly removed from the building “as a precaution”.
The Federal Supreme Court is a very short distance from the parliament and the Planalto (seat of the presidency) in Brasilia.
The presidency closed its gates and no one was allowed to enter it, an AFP photojournalist found.
The square of the three powers was cordoned off by a strong police force.
Laiana Costa, an employee of the Court of Auditors, who is also in the area, told the press that she saw “a man walking by”, before “suddenly I heard a bang, I looked back and saw fire and smoke”.
According to a representative of his services, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not in office when the two explosions occurred, with a difference of about 20 seconds from one another.
On January 8, 2023, a week after Lula’s return to power, thousands of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, his far-right predecessor who was defeated in elections at the end of 2022, stormed and caused widespread destruction at all three institutions in this square, before the authorities to regain control of the situation.
On Monday and Tuesday, Lula will host in Rio the G20 summit, where the heads of state and government of the world’s twenty largest economies are expected. On Wednesday, the Brazilian president is scheduled to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to Brasilia.
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