Brazilian Police Arrest Man Suspected of Planning Terrorist Attack in São Paulo

BRASÍLIA - Federal police in Brazil have reportedly taken a man into custody on Thursday for allegedly planning to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) on “national territory”, according to local authorities.

The arrest occurred in Bauru, a city located on the outskirts of São Paulo in the country’s south. Authorities have yet to release the identity of the suspect, nor his national origin, but did state that the individual apprehended is believed to have ties with the Islamic State, or ISIS.

The operation that led to Thursday’s arrest–dubbed “Foice de Ferro” by local police stemmed from an investigation backed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which had the suspect under surveillance and tracking his movements for a period of time.

Brazilian authorities discovered the suspect was preparing to “assemble a vest with explosives intended for carrying out a suicide terrorist attack on national territory,” a police statement said.

There are reports of increased activity of Islamic extremist groups attempting to establish a foothold in South America since the winding down of U.S. operations in the Middle East, restoring large swaths of national territory to Iraq and Syria, and the defeat of the ISIS Caliphate in Iraq in 2017-2018.

Security risk firms based in the region are also branching out into the terrorism space, providing their clients with security expertise with a unique focus on the rise of Islamic extremism in South America.