Man who masterminded Brazil bombing says he was inspired by Bolsonaro’s call to arm

A man arrested for attempting to detonate a bomb at a protest against the electoral result of Brazil was inspired by the far-right president’s call to arm himself Jair Bolsonaro to create an arsenal, according to a copy of his police testimony seen by Reuters.

George Washington de Oliveira Sousa was detained on Saturday, a day after police said they had thwarted his plan to set off an explosive device near the airport in Brasilia.

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The incident added a new dimension to the post-election violence in Brazilwhere tensions remain high after the closest elections in decades.

Incoming Justice Minister Flavio Dino said in a television interview on Monday that It will be necessary to strengthen security for the inauguration of the left-wing president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sundaywho defeated Bolsonaro.

“We are not talking about a lone wolf”, Dino said about Sousa. “There are powerful people behind this and the police will investigate. We will not allow political terrorism in Brazil”.

The first lawyer SousaWallison dos Reis Pereira, said that had confessed and that he was cooperating with the police. His current attorney, Jorge Chediak, said he had not yet spoken with Sousawho is in jail, but claimed that his confession to the police was full of “contradictions”.

Sousa, 54, a gas station manager in the northern state of Pará, told police that Bolsonaro’s sowing of electoral doubts inspired his trip to the capital on December 12.

George Washington de Oliveira Sousa was detained by the Brazilian police and an arsenal was found on him.

after reaching Brasiliajoined a campout of supporters of Bolsonaro in front of the army headquarters They called for a coup.

“My trip to Brasilia was to join the protests in front of the army headquarters and wait for the armed forces to authorize me to take up arms and destroy communism.he said, according to the copy of his testimony.

Sousa said he had become an owner of weapons registered in October of last year, joining a group that has grown six-fold to nearly 700,000 since Bolsonaro He was elected in 2018 and began relaxing gun ownership laws.

The executive said he had invested almost 160,000 reais ($30,800) since then in his arsenal. He took two 12-gauge shotguns, two revolvers, three pistols, a rifle, more than a thousand cartridges and five sticks of dynamite on his trip to Brasilia.

“What motivated me to buy the weapons were the words of the president Bolsonarowho always emphasized the importance of civilians being armed saying: ‘An armed population will never be enslaved’”said Sousa.

Source: Elcomercio