International
Brasilia riots: What we know
January 15 | By AFP |
Thousands of opponents of leftist new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stormed the seats of power in Brazil’s capital on January 8, fired up by anti-“communist” rhetoric and allegations of election fraud.
Here’s what we know.
Rioters arrested
In all, the Federal Police detained 1,843 people after the riots in Brasilia.
Most of them were taken from an encampment outside the army headquarters in the capital, where they had been protesting for two months, clamoring for the military to prevent Lula’s inauguration, which went ahead on January 1.
According to the latest update by the Federal Police, 1,159 remained under arrest Wednesday after 684 — many of them old or ill, parents of young children and homeless people — were released to await trial in freedom.
Police from the district of Brasilia arrested another 209 on the day of the uprising.
Charges against the rioters include terrorism, criminal association, involvement in an attack against the democratic state, participation in an attempted coup d’etat and incitement to crime.
Countering claims of mistreatment, the police said hundreds of detainees received three meals and a snack every day, and had access to medical care.
More than 430 were seen by doctors and 33 taken to health facilities.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on Friday that court appearances have started, without providing details.
Top dogs
A Supreme Court judge on Friday gave the green light for far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, beaten narrowly by Lula at the ballot box in October, to be included in an investigation into the instigators of the riots.
The Federal Police on Saturday arrested Brasilia security chief Anderson Torres, a former Bolsonaro justice minister, for alleged “collusion” with the rioters.
Also in custody is Fabio Augusto, who led the military police in Brasilia and, like Torres, was fired after the uprising.
The Supreme Court has also ordered an inquiry into the conduct of Brasilia governor Ibaneis Rocha and his interim public security secretary Fernando de Sousa Oliveira.
Rocha was relieved of his duties for 90 days.
Lula and Dino have said the violence could not have happened without collusion from members of the security forces. An investigation is under way.
Financiers
The attorney general’s office has identified 52 individuals and seven companies suspected of having helped pay for the uprising.
According to national broadcaster TV Globo, the suspects included leaders in the pro-Bolsonaro agro-business sector.
They are thought to have paid for the food and transport of rioters who arrived in Brasilia from several regions of the country on about 100 passenger buses.
Investigations are ongoing to track down other masterminds and financiers.
Damage
The extent of the damage has yet to be determined in monetary terms, but many of the items trashed when rioters broke into the presidency, Congress and Supreme Court are irreplaceable parts of Brazil’s cultural heritage.
The buildings, all designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer, had their windows smashed, furniture broken, floors and walls burnt and scratched, and facades scarred by anti-Lula graffiti.
The capital is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
In an initial report of damage, Brazil’s Iphan heritage institute documented a seemingly never-ending trail of destruction.
Most of the building damage was reversible, it said, but individual items may not be salvageable.
Among the most iconic items damaged were the modernist canvas “As Mulatas” painted by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, and the sculpture “A Justica” by Alfredo Ceschiatti.
Numberous canvases, busts, statues, ceramic vases and pieces of antique furniture were defaced.
UNESCO has offered its help in restoring damaged artworks.
Driving force
Bolsonaro had done his best on the campaign trail to raise the specter of “communism” under leftist Lula, who had already served two previous presidential terms from 2003 to 2010.
He also hammered repeatedly on Lula’s graft conviction, which has been overturned.
Long before the election, Bolsonaro sought to cast doubt, without showing any evidence, on the credibility of Brazil’s internationally-hailed electoral system.
When he did lose, millions were left fearful of Lula and the left, and distrustful of his victory.
“All we want is freedom,” one arrested rioter told AFP.
Experts say disinformation, much of it spread by Bolsonaro himself, was in large part responsible for the radicalization of the anti-Lula faction in Brazil.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
International
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.
The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.
“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.
“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.
While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.
International
Authorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
Julio César Jasso Ramírez, identified by authorities as the gunman behind the armed attack at the archaeological site of Teotihuacán, had allegedly spent years building a personal narrative shaped by an obsession with historical mass shootings, extremist symbolism, and an increasing detachment from reality.
According to preliminary findings from the Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México, the 27-year-old suspect, originally from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, acted alone and appeared to have carefully planned the attack.
Investigators also pointed to signs of a severe psychological or psychiatric disorder. One official involved in the case stated that the suspect seemed to live in “his own reality,” disconnected from the world around him.
“I would not speak of a motive; I would speak of psychopathy, a condition, an illness,” the official said while discussing the ongoing investigation.
Authorities reported that Jasso Ramírez was allegedly fixated on mass violence incidents that occurred outside Mexico, particularly in the United States.
Among the items found in his possession were writings, images, and materials reportedly linked to the Columbine High School massacre, the school shooting that took place on April 20, 1999.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue analyzing evidence connected to the suspect’s background and mental state.
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Guatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International2 days agoIran refuses to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ongoing U.S. Naval blockade
-
International4 days agoFour injured in shooting at Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico
-
Central America4 days agoBukele administration surpasses 1,100 homicide-free days amid ongoing crackdown
-
Central America4 days agoU.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme
-
Central America23 hours agoGuatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
-
International23 hours agoPope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
-
International3 days agoVenezuelan opposition demands election date and minimum wage increase
-
International3 days agoTrump extends Iran ceasefire after Pakistan mediation request
-
International4 days agoElon Musk skips French court appearance over X investigation
-
International3 days agoMaradona’s daughter accuses medical team of “horrible manipulation” in court
-
International2 days ago
Authorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
-
International9 hours agoU.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico