A man armed with explosives died Wednesday while trying to enter Brazil’s Supreme Court in what appeared to be a suicide, officials said.
“This citizen approached the Federal Supreme Court, tried to enter, but failed, and the explosion took place at the entrance,” Brasilia Governor Celina Leao told reporters.
Early indications are that it was a suicide and no one else was injured, she said.
The man’s body was found outside the court after two explosions occurred.
The first came from a car in the square outside the court. The second occurred when the man tried to enter the court, and this blast killed him, the governor said.
The incident took place ahead of a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next Monday and Tuesday, which will bring together leaders from around the world.
After that summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to stay in Brazil and go to Brasilia for a state visit.
The Supreme Court said in a statement that two loud explosions sounded at the end of Wednesday’s hearing and the judges were safely evacuated.
The court is located in the Praca dos Tres Poderes (the Place of the Three Powers), which also overlooks the Presidential Palace and Congress.
The presidential palace was placed on lockdown while a large police contingent patrolled the square. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not at the palace at the time of the explosions, a spokesman said.
Federal police called the blasts “attacks” and said they were investigating.
The slain man could not immediately be identified because suspicious objects were still surrounding his body, the governor said.
She added that “we confirm it appears to be a lone wolf”.
The area in question was the scene of much drama last year.
On January 8, 2023, seats of power in Brasilia were hit by an uprising, a week after Lula defeated right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro in the elections.
Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters, angry over his defeat, stormed government buildings and caused extensive damage.
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