The Supreme Court of Brazil was evacuated following two explosions on Wednesday evening. One person was killed in a nearby square close to the Congress and the presidential palace, according to police. The incidents have raised security concerns ahead of the upcoming G20 summit, which Brazil is hosting.
The explosions occurred just five days before global leaders from the Group of 20 major economies are scheduled to meet in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a state visit to Brasília by .
The initial explosion took place in a parking lot near the Supreme Court building. The justices had just concluded a plenary session and were promptly and safely evacuated, as confirmed in a statement from the court.
Federal police have deployed a bomb squad to the square, located in the heart of the Brazilian capital, to investigate the blasts. The country’s solicitor general, in a social media post, described the explosions as an “attack”.
A police officer, speaking to local television, stated that the deceased individual found in the square was carrying an explosive device. The body will be carefully inspected to prevent any potential secondary explosions.
The explosions were audible in the Plaza of the Three Powers, an iconic square in Brasília that connects the principal buildings of Brazil’s three branches of .
The square was the site of riots on January 8th, 2023, when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro vandalized the buildings in protest of his electoral defeat.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had departed from the executive palace on Wednesday evening shortly before the explosions occurred.