Brazil Police Launch Raid to Stop Assassination, Kidnapping Plot

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Facts

  • Federal police in Brazil say they have launched a large-scale raid stopping a gang-related plot to kidnap and assassinate public officials across at least five states. A statement released Wednesday said 120 officers were deployed to serve 24 search-and-seizure warrants and 11 arrest warrants.1
  • The First Capital Command (or 'PCC') gang is responsible for the plan, according to a government minister. The PCC controls cocaine and arms shipments in Brazil and is reportedly known to launder money.2
  • Police say Senator Sérgio Moro — a former judge who presided over the so-called 'Carwash' investigation, which was a historic 2014 corruption case — was one of the public officials on the hit list; Moro confirmed he was a target on Twitter.3
  • Rosangela Moro, Sergio Moro's wife and a member of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, took a stance against organized crime in Brazil over Twitter, writing: “Retaliation, in crime or politics, cannot persist. Today it’s us. Tomorrow it could be you or your children.'1
  • Last year, federal police investigated another PCC plan to kidnap and extort public officials in exchange for the release of the gang’s imprisoned leader Marco Willians Camacho.4

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Reuters, 3Associated Press and 4Trtworld.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by New york times. There are major unanswered questions here. Who exactly was arrested and targeted during these raids? What evidence did the police have to support these warrants? While protecting the lives of innocent public officials is paramount, the federal police in Brazil have a reputation for brutality and violence against uninvolved civilians. More information is needed before the crackdown on a supposed gang plot can be celebrated.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Trtworld. Brazil is under a siege of terror from gang violence. The attacks against innocent civilians and government officials are brutally premeditated. Anyone who stands against gangs or corruption, like Senator Moro, is at increased risk. The police are doing a fantastic job with the resources they have. Raids like this should be given even more support to take down dangerous gangs.