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Brazil: Man arrested for threatening Lula ahead of summit

August 5, 2023

Police in Brazil arrested a man on suspicion of planning an assassination attempt on President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the Amazon summit to be held next week.

https://p.dw.com/p/4UnqL
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waving his finger while dellivering a speech
Lula is set to host a summit, in Brazil's Para state, to protect the Amazon rainforest Image: Eraldo Peres/AP/picture alliance

A man in Brazil was arrested for saying that he planned to shoot President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the police said on Friday, adding that a raid was conducted against another man accused of making threats online against the Brazilian leader.

The federal police in Brazil said the man was arrested in the city of Santarem in the Para state after he went to a liquor store where he said he planned to "shoot the president in the stomach."

The arrest was made ahead of the Amazon summit that will be held in Para's state capital, Belem, on August 8-9. 

The man was arrested after a witness reported him to the police after he "reportedly asked those present if they knew where (Lula) was staying when he traveled to the city," police said.

In his statement to the police, the man said he was a farmer and former wildcat gold miner who had also participated in the January 8 riots in Brasilia. He also told the investigators that he invaded the Green Room in Congress that day.

The investigators raided two properties and are probing a number of crimes, including an attempt to assassinate the president.

Can Brazil still save the Amazon Rainforest?

In a separate case, police carried out raids in Belem against a security guard possessing a firearm and who is accused of publishing "threatening images of attacks against the president" on social media.

Arrests made ahead of Amazon summit

Both cases were reported in Brazil's northern state of Para, where Lula is set to host a summit next week with the aim of protecting the Amazon rainforest.

Lula, who has been very vocal about saving the Amazon rainforest, will be hosting the summit with leaders of eight countries in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) to chalk out a common plan for saving the rainforest.

As per the latest government records, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 66% last month. The slowing deforestation rate has been credited to Lula, who has revamped Brazil's environmental policies since he took charge in January defeating Bolsonaro.

During Bolsanor's tenure, deforestation had increased due to his focus on development and relaxed approach to environmental policies.

Using soccer to fight for the Amazon

mfa/sms (AFP, Reuters)