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SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Supreme Court has been evacuated and a man has been found dead after two explosions were heard outside the building on Wednesday evening.
The blasts hit the center of Brazil’s capital, where the Supreme Court, parliament and presidential palace are all located.
A spokesperson for the federal police told the AFP news agency a body had been discovered in front of the court. It is unclear how the man was connected with the blasts.
The country’s solicitor general, Jorge Messias, condemned what he said was a deliberate attack and vowed a full investigation into the blasts would be launched.
“I strongly condemn the attacks against the Supreme Court and the lower house,” he said in a statement posted to X.
“We must know the motivation behind the attacks, and to re-establish peace and safety as fast as possible.”
Images carried by news agencies showed the deceased man lying in an area outside the court, as officers cordoned off the area.
A police spokesperson told AFP that they could “confirm that there is a body in front of the Supreme Court”, but offered no further details.
Brasilia’s Deputy Governor Celina Leao told reporters that the explosion occurred after the man approached the entrance to the court and failed to gain entry.
Earlier, the Supreme Court said in a statement that the building had been evacuated as a “precautionary measure” after explosions were heard. Justices had just finished hearing a plenary session and were quickly evacuated safely, it added.
The court is located in the Plaza de los Tres Poderes, across the square from the presidential palace. Local media reported that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had left the area shortly before the blasts.
The explosions come just a week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit the capital, following a trip to a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Last year, the plaza was the scene of mass disorder, after supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro ransacked the buildings in a bid to prevent his electoral defeat by President Lula. — BBC
