Bomb goes off outside Brazil’s Supreme Court

Two bombs were detonated near government buildings in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia on Wednesday evening, killing one person. Officials say the sole fatality is the suspect himself.

The incident occurred at the Three Powers Plaza, where the Supreme Federal Court, parliament, and presidential palace are located.

According to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, the blasts were heard around 7:30pm local time. A bomb went off outside the Supreme Federal Court, while a parked car exploded near the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the nation’s parliament.

Eyewitnesses told news website Universo Online that a man carrying explosives approached the courthouse and detonated a bomb near the ‘Lady Justice’ statue, which stands outside the entrance.

A video shared on social media reportedly shows one of the explosions.

The courthouse has been evacuated, while sessions of both houses of parliament have been suspended.

The governor of the Brasilia Federal District, Ibaneis Rocha, described the bombing as a “suicide” attack.

The fire department and police said the suspected attacker is the only fatality. Vice Governor Celina Leao confirmed earlier media reports that identified Francisco Wanderley Luiz, 59, as the suspect.

Universo Online reported that the suspect had made threats on social media to politicians and Supreme Court justices. The suspect had lived in the southern state of Santa Catarina, and in 2020, he ran for the city council of Rio do Sul but received only 98 votes.