A man with explosives died Wednesday trying to enter Brazil’s Supreme Court in what appeared to be a suicide, officials said, days before the country hosts the G20 summit.
“This citizen approached the Federal Supreme Court, tried to enter, failed, and the explosion happened at the entrance,” Brasilia governor Celina Leao told reporters, adding that no one else was hurt.
The man’s body was located outside the court after two explosions occurred, but suspicious objects around it prevented immediate efforts to carry out identification, she said.
The first blast came from a car in the square outside the court around 7:30 pm (2230 GMT). The second one happened a few seconds later when the man tried to enter the court, and this blast killed him, the governor said.
The incident came ahead of a G20 summit next Monday and Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro that will gather leaders from around the world. Among them will be US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
After that summit, Xi is scheduled to stay on, going to Brasilia for a state visit next Wednesday.
The convergence of the G20 leaders on Brazil has been accompanied by heightened security arrangements in the country, particularly in Rio.
– Judges evacuated –
The Supreme Court said in a statement that two loud explosions rang out at the end of Wednesday’s session and that the judges were safely evacuated.
The court is located in the Praca dos Tres Poderes, which also fronts onto the presidential palace and the Congress.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not in the palace at the time of the explosions, a spokesman said.
The presidential palace was sealed off and a large police contingent deployed around the plaza.
An AFP photographer in the area said the zone was locked down as heavy rain fell.
Federal police said they had opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the blasts and any possible motive.
Police who had been patrolling the area noticed the car on fire and saw the man leaving the vehicle, said Sergeant Rodrigo Santos of the capital’s military police.
A government employee in the capital, Laiana Costa, told local media said she saw the man go by and “then there was a noise, and I looked back and there was fire and smoke coming out,” and security guards from the court rushing up.
The same area was the scene of high drama last year.
On January 8, 2023, the seats of power in Brasilia were hit by an insurrection a week after President Lula defeated the right-wing incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro at the polls.
Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters angry over his defeat stormed the government buildings, causing major damage before authorities managed to reimpose control.
The head of Brazil’s Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, said that rioting prompted “a change in security rules” for the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court.
