Brazil Arrests Two Suspects of 'Terrorist Activities' in Rio

Brazilian police and security forces have arrested two 'suspects of terrorist activities' during the Rio Olympics; previously, 12 individuals were arrested on suspicion of links to Islamic State militants. Associated Press reports that the arrest of these two suspects on August 12 was part of a second phase of an operation called 'Hashtag.' Last month, security forces had also arrested 12 others, with Brazil's Minister of Justice stating that 10 of them were 'Brazilian' and most knew each other through messaging networks: 'an amateur group that was acting very clumsily and without a plan.' These individuals were arrested in 10 different states, including São Paulo and Paraná in southern Brazil. Reuters reported on Thursday that three more individuals were recently interrogated and later released. The two remaining detainees are Brazilian citizens, but their identities have not been disclosed. There is no history of Islamist extremist attacks in Brazil, but the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro has put the country's security forces on unprecedented alert. 85,000 police officers, army soldiers, and other security forces are responsible for the security of the Olympics, a figure that is more than double the number of security personnel at the 2012 London Olympics. Brazilian security officials have stated that their concern is not about coordinated and planned attacks but rather the possibility of individual attacks or those by isolated groups supporting extremist militants. Associated Press notes that despite the Minister of Justice describing the detainees as 'a group of amateurs,' they are being held in a prison with very high security measures. Additionally, Brazilian security forces must also contend with daily crimes and criminal groups involved in theft, kidnapping, or 'extortion.'