Blast Outside Brazil's Supreme Court: Unraveling the Lone Wolf Incident

A former city council candidate from Jair Bolsonaro's party, Francisco Wanderley Luiz, killed himself in a blast outside Brazil's Supreme Court. This incident, raising security concerns ahead of the G20 summit, is under investigation, potentially connecting it to past political unrest and Bolsonaro's rhetoric.

In a shocking incident outside Brazil's Supreme Court, Francisco Wanderley Luiz, a former city council candidate linked to Jair Bolsonaro's right-wing party, detonated a homemade bomb in an apparent suicide. The blast sparked tensions and raised security concerns amid significant upcoming events, such as the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the capital, Brasilia.

The tragic event, as confirmed by a police report viewed by Reuters, involved Luiz throwing an object at the court, causing no damage, before setting off the explosive device. He had previously lost a 2020 election bid for Rio do Sul city council as part of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party, which has been embroiled in controversy following Bolsonaro's defeat to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and subsequent allegations of election rigging.

With investigations underway, authorities are probing any connection between Luiz's attack and a broader pattern of unrest linked to Bolsonaro's rhetoric. The Supreme Court incident mirrors the chaos of January 8, last year, when Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings to contest Lula's victory. As the probe could extend to assessing Bolsonaro's alleged role in coup plots post-election, the blasts have reignited public discourse around this complex political landscape.

(With inputs from agencies.)