ALERT 10 arrested for allegedly planning attack involving Rio Olympics

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10 arrested for allegedly planning attack involving Rio Olympics

A.J. Perez, USA TODAY Sports 12:35 p.m. EDT July 21, 2016

Brazilian authorities arrested 10 people loyal to the Islamic State who were believed to be planning attacks during the Summer Olympics, a government official confirmed Thursday.

Investigators say those arrested were discussing targets in Rio, which leads them to believe they were planning attacks during the Olympics. Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said the group was part of a "novice cell" and that "they went from simply making comments about the Islamic State and terrorism to preparatory acts."

The arrested were in nine different states and are accused of having made contact online with the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The suspects are Brazilians. Ten people were arrested and two others were being sought.

The arrests come just two weeks before the Summer Olympics open in Rio. Brazilian magazine Epoca reported that the anti-terrorism division of Brazil’s federal police agency made arrests as part of a covert operation.

Moraes said there were no specific targets for an attack.

Federal police monitored messages exchanged on social networks, where the individuals allegedly laid out plans to attack Olympic venues and talked about purchasing weapons, Epoca reported. The court-approved intercept of the communications found the group had sworn an allegiance to the Islamic State.

Investigators referred to the group as an ISIS cell in a news release.

Moraes said the communications including messages sent and received from WhatsApp, a smartphone application that has drawn the ire of the Brazilian government. WhatsApp has been shut down by judicial order multiple times in Brazil in recent months, barring mobile carriers from transmitting data from the app.

It’s estimated WhatsApp is used by 100 million Brazilians.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, does not store the data and the messages are encrypted. Diego Dzodan, Facebook's vice president for Latin America, was arrested in March and held for nearly 24 hours for refusing to release messages as part of a drug-trafficking investigation; an appeals court overturned the lower court’s decision to arrest Dzodan.

Brazil enacted new anti-terror laws in the months leading up to the Summer Games, which will commence with opening ceremonies on Aug. 5.

Contributing: Taylor Barnes

 

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World | Thu Jul 21, 2016 11:58am EDT
Related: World, Brazil

Brazil arrests group plotting 'acts of terrorism' before Olympics

BRASILIA | By Lisandra Paraguassu and Anthony Boadle


Brazil arrested 10 people on Thursday on suspicion of belonging to a group supporting Islamic State (IS) and preparing acts of terrorism during next month's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Justice Minister Alexandre Moraes said.

The loosely organized group were all Brazilian citizens and in contact via internet messaging groups such as WhatsApp and Telegram, but did not know each other personally, the minister said.

The group did not have direct contact with IS though some of its members had made "pro forma" declarations of allegiance to the militant Islamist group, the minister said. He did not elaborate.

"Those involved participated in an online group denominated 'the defenders of Sharia' and were planning to acquire weapons to commit crimes in Brazil and even overseas," Moraes told a news conference.

"It was an absolutely amateur cell, with no preparation at all, a disorganized cell," the minister said, adding that authorities decided to intervene when the group started to plan actions.


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› Brazilian group arrested for terror plot were amateurs: Minister

He said members of the group had visited a weapons site in neighboring Paraguay that sells AK-47 assault rifles, but there was no evidence they acquired any weapons. Two people will be brought in for questioning, in addition to the 10 already detained, he added.

Interim President Michel Temer had called an emergency cabinet meeting following the arrests, the first under Brazil's tough new anti-terrorism law approved this year.

The minister said the leader of the group was based in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, with others spread in nine Brazilian states.

A court in the state of Parana, where Curitiba is based, said there were indications that the group was planning to use weapons and guerilla tactics to achieve its aim.

Brazil's intelligence agency said on Tuesday it was investigating all threats to the Rio Olympics, which start on Aug. 5, after a presumed Brazilian Islamist group pledged allegiance to IS.

The SITE Intelligence Group that monitors the internet reported the previously unknown group calling itself "Ansar al-Khilafah Brazil" said on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday that it followed IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and had promoted IS propaganda in Arabic, English and Portuguese.

Brazilian authorities stepped up security measures following the truck massacre in Nice, France last week, planning security cordons, additional roadblocks and the frisking of visitors in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics.


(Writing by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)

 

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By Holly Yan, Julia Jones and Shasta Darlington CNN

Brazil: 10 suspected of planning Olympics terror

Group inspired by ISIS online, justice minister says

UPDATED 12:28 PM EDT Jul 21, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO (CNN) —Brazilian police have arrested 10 people suspected of planning terrorist acts during next month's Rio Olympics, Brazil's Justice Ministry said Thursday.

The group was inspired by ISIS and mostly organized online, Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said.

He said no specific targets were mentioned, but the Justice Ministry is still investigating the suspects' computers and cell phones to learn more about the possible plans.

De Moraes said the suspects are all Brazilian nationals, and that one minor was mentioned in the conversations.

Another two people have warrants out for their arrests. Authorities said they believe those suspects will be arrested soon.

De Moraes said the group was not an organized cell, calling it "absolutely amateur -- with no preparation."

The group essentially said, "Let's start training in martial arts, let's start learning how to shoot," the justice minister said.

He noted the group tried to buy a gun online, which no organized cell would do.

Serious threats 'investigated exhaustively'


But Brazil has grappled with a host of threats against the Rio Olympics, now just 15 days away.

This week, Brazil's intelligence agency said it was reviewing all threats after a jihadi messaging channel called for its followers to target the Olympics, which start August 5.

"Many (threats) are discarded and the ones that deserve attention are investigated exhaustively," the agency said.

Earlier this week, a jihadi channel on the messaging app Telegram called for attacks against the games and detailed targets and methods, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.


SITE said a message was posted to "Inspire the Believers!" saying, "Lone wolf from anywhere in the world can move to Brazil now."

The message also suggested using the games to target the enemies of jihad, including Western athletes.

But Brazil has vowed it will be ready to handle any terror attempt.

Brazilian forces have been working with French SWAT teams to simulate attack scenarios. In one drill, Brazil special forces and a police dog chase down an armed gunman to thwart a possible attack on Rio's subway system.

"There is not a specific threat," Lt. Gen. Luiz Linhares of Brazil's Ministry of Defense said. "You have to screen for a great (spectrum) of threat."