On Sunday (11/06), the Federal Police arrested a Brazilian as he was about to leave the country to join the Islamic State. The PF also completed arrest and search and seizure warrants issued by the 2nd Federal Court of Belo Horizonte against the man who intended to leave the country to join the fight of the terrorist group Islamic State.
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The Arrest
The arrest took place at the international departure gate of Guarulhos International Airport, in São Paulo. In addition to the arrest, on Monday (12/06), search and seizure warrants were carried out in the cities of São José dos Campos (SP) and Barbacena (MG).
Islamic Terrorism in Brazil
Even though Brazil is not the target of terrorist attacks by Islamic groups, a series of episodes have shown their presence in the country. One of the most famous episodes of international terrorism in Brazil occurred in 2016, two weeks before the start of the Olympic Games in Rio. On that occasion, the Brazilian Federal Police arrested an Islamic jihadist group that planned attacks similar to those of the Munich Games in 1972. Ten suspected ISIS allies were arrested and two fled. The group encouraged attacks by lone wolves against athletes from the United Kingdom, United States and France.
Two years later, the Federal Police arrested the Lebanese Assad Ahmad Barakat in Foz do Iguaçu (PR), suspected of financing terrorist groups. And, well before that, in 2001, an investigation showed that 20 terrorist members of Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah were living in the country, collecting money, recruiting new members and planning violent acts.
Source: Folha de SP, BBC, A Referência.
