A man carrying explosives was found dead on the evening of Wednesday November 13 in Brasília after an unsuccessful attempt to enter the Brazilian Supreme Court building, a “attack” according to the authorities. “This individual approached the Federal Supreme Court, tried to enter, failed to do so and the explosion occurred in front of the door.”the governor of Brasília, Celina Leao, told the press. According to preliminary information, it was a “suicideadded the governor. “There are no injuries”she added. The federal police announced that they had opened an investigation into “the attacks”without further details.

This man was found dead after two explosions near the high court. “We can confirm that there is a body in front of the Federal Supreme Court.”a Federal Police spokesman told AFP. The body was seen on site by a photographer from the agency. Earlier, in a statement, the court had announced that at the end of Wednesday’s session, “two loud explosions were heard and the judges were evacuated from the building for safety.”. Staff on site were also evacuated “as a precautionary measure”.

The Supreme Court is located in the Three Powers Square, the heart of Brazilian democracy, where it faces the presidential palace and parliament. The presidential palace is closed and no one is allowed in, noted an AFP photographer. The entire square was cordoned off by an imposing deployment of security forces.

G20 kicks off on Monday

Left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not at the presidential palace at the time of the explosions, a presidential spokesman told AFP. On January 8, 2023, a week after Lula’s return to power, thousands of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former head of state defeated in the presidential election at the end of 2022, stormed and ransacked the headquarters of the country’s institutions in the Place des Trois-Pouvoirs. The authorities finally regained control of the situation.

On Monday and Tuesday, Lula will host a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together most of the leaders of the world’s major economies. On Wednesday, he is due to receive Chinese President Xi Jinping in Brasilia on a state visit.