International
Police reinforce the suspicion that Bolsonaro was illegally spying on his adversaries
The Federal Police reinforced the suspicion that former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro maintained an illegal espionage network, with resources from the State, to monitor his political adversaries while he was in power, according to documents declassified this Thursday by the Supreme Court.
The documents are part of an investigation initiated last year and reveal that illegal espionage reached parliamentarians, members of the Judiciary, journalists and governors, among many others considered adversaries of the leader of the far-right.
The decision to disseminate those documents was made by Judge Alexandre de Moraes, responsible for the investigation in the Supreme Court, on the same day that the Federal Police arrested four alleged members of that illegal network, among whom is a former official of the press office of the Presidency during the Bolsonaro Government (2019-2022).
According to the Federal Police, among those monitored was the current president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, despite the fact that at the time he was considered close to Bolsonaro, and at least four of the eleven members of the Supreme Court.
On the network, also according to the Police, the press office of the Presidency and the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin), whose director at the time, Alexandre Ramagem, would have been in charge of that illegal espionage, operated together.
The documents also renew the suspicion that Ramagem, now a deputy for the extreme right, would also have used that network to spy on the Police itself in relation to proceedings taking place in the courts against three of Jair Bolsonaro’s sons.
The former president faces various processes in Justice, but so far he has only been charged in two, in which he appears as suspected of illegally appropriating gifts received during his term, which should be delivered to the State acquis, and in which he is accused of having used an illegal network to obtain a false certificate of vaccination against COVID-19.
In the most serious of the open processes, it is about having planned a coup d’état to prevent the investiture of the current president, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated him in the 2022 elections.
After the dissemination of the documents, Bolsonaro made no comments on the matter, at least immediately, but he had already completely rejected the existence of that alleged espionage network.
Last February, when the residence of his son Carlos Bolsonaro, a councilor in Rio de Janeiro, was raided within the framework of this investigation, the leader of the far-right reacted angrily and assured that there is “no proof” of that espionage to his opponents.
As he said at that time, everything would be part of the “persecution” that he says he suffers since Lula came to power and only has as a basis “a lot of ‘fake news’” that will be “disassembled” by his lawyers.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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