By MAURICIO SAVARESE
SAO PAULO (AP) — Two explosions on Wednesday outside Brazil’s Supreme Court killed a man and forced the justices and staff to evacuate the building in the capital of Brasilia.
The court said in a statement that two very strong blasts were heard at about 7:30 p.m. local time, shortly after Wednesday’s session finished. It added that all the justices and staff left the building safely after the incident.
A police statement had earlier said that an artifact exploded outside the court. Local firefighters confirmed that one man died at the scene, but did not identify him.
Local media reported that the two blasts outside the court took place with 20 seconds between the first and the second explosions.
The blasts took place in Brasilia’s Three Powers Plaza, an area where Brazil’s main government buildings are located.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was not in the neighboring presidential palace at the time of the blasts, spokesman José Chrispiniano said.
Police blocked all access to the area where Brazil’s Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace are located. The presidential security bureau was conducting a sweep of the grounds around the presidential palace.
Brazil’s federal police said it is investigating and did not provide a motive.
The Supreme Court in recent years has become a target for threats by far-right groups and supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro due to its crackdown on the spread of false information. In particular, Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been a focus for their ire.
Earlier, another explosion was heard outside Brazil’s Congress, but it apparently did not cause damages.
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