By Victor Borges, Anthony Boadle and Andre Romani
BRASILIA (Reuters) -A person killed himself with a bomb outdoors Brazil’s Supreme Court docket after making an attempt to enter the constructing on Wednesday, officers stated, stirring safety issues earlier than the nation hosts world leaders from the Group of 20 main economies.
The blasts come 5 days earlier than the G20 heads of state meet in Rio de Janeiro, adopted by a state go to to the capital Brasilia by Chinese language President Xi Jinping.
The primary of two explosions went off on Wednesday night in a car parking zone close to the courtroom constructing and a second blast got here seconds later in entrance of the courtroom, the place the person’s physique was discovered.
Federal District Vice Governor Celina Leao stated preliminary data advised the person had killed himself with explosives after making an attempt to enter the Supreme Court docket. She stated he owned a close-by automobile by which one other explosion blew open the trunk.
Leao stated she hoped it was the crime of a “lone wolf,” however she couldn’t ensure. Police stated that they had not made a ultimate identification of the lifeless man as they had been confronting the chance of extra explosives on the physique.
The explosions occurred across the Plaza of the Three Powers, an iconic sq. in Brasilia connecting the principal buildings of Brazil’s three branches of federal authorities.
It was the scene of riots on Jan. 8 final yr when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro ransacked the buildings to protest his electoral defeat.
Police deployed a bomb squad with an explosive disposal robotic to the sq. within the coronary heart of Brazilian capital to analyze the blasts.
The Supreme Court docket justices had simply ended a plenary session when the blasts occurred and had been rapidly evacuated safely, the courtroom stated in a press release.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had left the chief palace on Wednesday night time shortly earlier than the explosions.
