Brazil:

A man was killed in what appeared to be a suicide attack with explosives while trying to enter Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, officials said, days before the country is set to host a G20 summit.

“The citizen approached the Federal Supreme Court, tried to enter, failed, and the explosion happened at the entrance,” Brasília Governor Selena Leo told reporters, adding that no one else was hurt. .

He said the man’s body was located outside the courthouse after the two explosions, but suspicious objects around him hampered immediate efforts to identify him.

The first explosion occurred at around 7:30 a.m. (2230 GMT) from a car in the square outside the courthouse. The second incident happened seconds later when the man tried to enter the courthouse, killing him in the blast, the governor said.

The incident comes ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next Monday and Tuesday, which will bring together world leaders. They will also include US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After the summit, Xi will travel to Brasilia next Wednesday for a state visit.

With the gathering of G20 leaders on Brazil, tight security arrangements have been made in the country, especially in Rio.

The judges were fired.

The Supreme Court said in a statement that at the end of Wednesday’s session there were two loud explosions and the judges were evacuated safely.

The court is located in Praca dos Tres Poderes, which is also opposite the Presidential Palace and Congress.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not in the palace at the time of the blasts, the spokesman said.

The presidential palace was sealed off and a heavy police force was deployed around the plaza.

An AFP photographer in the area said the zone was closed due to heavy rain.

Federal police said they have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of the blasts and any possible motive.

Sergeant Rodrigo Santos of the capital’s military police said police patrolling the area caught fire and saw the man get out of the car.

Liana Costa, a civil servant in the capital, told local media that she saw the man leaving and “then there was a noise, and I looked back and there was fire and smoke coming out,” and the court. The security guards came up quickly. .

The same area was the scene of high drama last year.

On January 8, 2023, the seats of power in Brasília were in a coup after President Lula defeated right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in an election.

Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters, angered by his defeat, stormed government buildings, causing extensive damage before authorities were able to regain control.

The head of Brazil’s Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, said the riots prompted a “change in security rules” for the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court.

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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