RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazilian police have arrested 10 people suspected of planning terrorist acts during the Olympics, Brazil’s Justice Ministry said Thursday.
The group was inspired by ISIS and only had contact with the group via the Internet, Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said.
He said no specific targets were mentioned, but the Justice Ministry is still investigating the suspects’ computers and cell phones to find out more about plans. De Moraes said the suspects are all Brazilian nationals, and that one minor was mentioned in the conversations.
De Moraes said the suspects were “not an organized cell.”
This week, Brazil’s intelligence agency said it was reviewing all threats against the Rio 2016 Games after a jihadi messaging channel called for its followers to target the Olympics.
“Many [threats] are discarded and the ones that deserve attention are investigated exhaustively,” the agency said.
Earlier this week, a jihadi channel on the messaging app Telegram called for attacks against the Games and detailed targets and methods, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
SITE said a message was posted to “Inspire the Believers!” saying, “Lone wolf from anywhere in the world can move to Brazil now.”
The message also suggested using the Games to target the enemies of jihad, including Western athletes, and said it would introduce the hashtag “#RioLW.”
