Brazil police investigate alleged election attack plot

Brazilian police said Tuesday they were investigating eight suspects accused of plotting attacks in Brasilia during the October 4 presidential election, in which President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seeking a fourth term.

Police said intercepted communications showed the suspects, aged 19 to 31 and living across five states, made repeated references to Brasilia as the destination of a planned mobilisation during the 2026 election period.

A police statement said the group exchanged messages about travelling to the capital, storming buildings, choosing targets, recruiting people from different states and conducting tactical training.

Police said the suspects also allegedly shared building plans and 3D models of government buildings in Brasilia, along with manuals for making explosive devices.

The investigation was triggered by information from a cybercrimes intelligence unit. Police seized electronic devices and are investigating how organised the group was and how far any plans had progressed.

The crimes under investigation are potential criminal conspiracy, incitement to crime and glorification of crime. Police said the case is not currently being treated as terrorism.

Lula is due to face right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in the election. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup after losing his 2022 re-election bid.

Hundreds of Jair Bolsonaro's supporters were convicted over the January 2023 storming of government buildings and the Supreme Court in Brasilia, a week after Lula took office.