Terrorism in Brazil
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Terrorism in Brazil has occurred since at least the 1940s.
Terror organizations
Shindo Renmei
The Shindo Renmei were a Japanese-Brazilian terror organization whose attacks were focused on resistance to the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II; attacks were perpetrated against other Japanese-Brazilians.[1]
Islamic terror groups
According to the Brazilian Federal Police, at least seven Islamic terror groups operate in Brazil:
- Al Qaeda
- Jihad Media Battalion
- Hezbollah
- Hamas
- Islamic Jihad
- Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya
- Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group
These groups operate inside the national territory and most are also known to operate on the border of Paraguay and Argentina with Brazil.[2]
Under the Brazilian military government
During the Brazilian military government from 1964 to 1985, terrorism was a term frequently used by the state. All forms of opposition to the military regime were considered forms of terrorism; opposition members were deemed "terrorists."[2]
Some groups engaged in urban guerrilla attacks against the regime; in a 1969 panflet ALN members described themselves as '''Guerrillas, terrorists and robbers; not men who depend on votes from other revolutionaries or whoeve to fulfill their duty to make the revolution.''[3]
An incident of right-wing terrorism known as the Riocentro attack occurred in 1981, perpetrated by a sector of the military dissatisfied with the democratic opening of the regime.
Recent history
On 21 July 2016, two weeks before the scheduled start of the Olympic Games, Brazilian Federal Police busted an Islamic jihadist terrorist ring plotting to wreak havoc in a manner similar to the 1972 Munich massacre, but they had a rather poor preparation compared to their objectives. 10 people suspected to be allied with ISIS were arrested and two more were on the run.[4][5]
On 2 May 2017, Palestinian migrants threw a homemade bomb at far-right protesters, leaving several injured in São Paulo.[6]
On 6 September 2018, the right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed during a political campaign in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais.[7]
On 13 March 2019, two former students opened fire at a Brazilian school in Suzano, São Paulo. The pair killed at least five teenagers as well as two school officials before committing suicide in an attack that police said was inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre in the United States.[8]
On 2 September 2021, a man who was planning Islamic terrorist attacks was arrested in Maringá.[9]
On 8 November 2023, the Federal Police of Brazil arrested 2 men and carried out 11 search and seizure warrants, in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Brasília, in an operation against the terrorist group Hezbollah, which was planning attacks on synagogues in the country.[10]
Several newspapers, including O Globo, Veja, and Folha de S.Paulo, characterised the 2023 invasion of the Brazilian Congress as terrorism.[11][12][13]
Responses and counterterrorism efforts
The Brazil government has four pieces of terrorism legislation pending in Congress:[14]
- Visa denials – in 2011, legislation was introduced to deny visas to persons and/or expel foreigners convicted or accused of a terrorist act in another country;
- Terrorism during the World Cup – in 2011, legislation was introduced that deals with specific crimes, including terrorism, during and preceding the World Cup;
- Penal code update – legislation in 2012 sought to update the Brazilian penal code to include sentencing guidelines for terrorism crimes;
- Terrorism definitions – legislation in 2013 sought to define terrorism under the Brazilian Constitution.
Criticism
There is a large concentration of Middle Eastern immigrants in the area near the Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil border. Some authorities monitoring the area have stated that Brazil should participate more in the international fight against terrorism.[2]
See also
References
- ^ LESSER, Jeffrey. "Negotiating National Identity: Immigrants, Minorities and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil". Durham: Duke University Press, 1999. Portuguese edition: Negociando a Identidade Nacional: Imigrantes, Minorias e a Luta pela Etnicidade no Brasil (São Paulo: Editora UNESP, 2001.
- ^ a b c "Terrorism in Brazil." The Brazil Business. Accessed January 30, 2015.
- ^ "Sobre a Organização dos Revoluci". www.marxists.org. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
- ^ "Did ISIS Reach Brazil? 11 People Charged With Trying to Set Up Jihadi Cell". NewsWeek. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ "Brazilian police arrest Isis-linked group over alleged Olympics attack plot". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ "Palestinian migrants threw a bomb at anti-migration law protesters in São Paulo". Folha de S.Paulo.
- ^ "Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed during political campaign". VEJA.
- ^ "Impeded by Columbine, Brazil pair kill eight and themselves in school shooting". Reuters.
- ^ "Polícia Federal prende em Maringá homem suspeito de planejar atos terroristas" (in Portuguese). g1.
- ^ "PF prende terroristas ligados ao Hezbollah e que planejavam ataques no Brasil". O GLOBO (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Invasão da Esplanada: crimes pelos quais terroristas bolsonaristas podem ser enquadrados". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "Terroristas invadiram Congresso com máscaras, capacetes e suprimentos". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "Vídeo: terroristas bolsonaristas atacam policial mulher na frente do STF | Radar". VEJA (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "Chapter 2: Country Reports, Western Hemisphere Review." US State Department. Accessed January 30, 2015.
