FBI warned Brazilian authorities about threat of terrorist attack

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alerted Brazilian authorities on November 1 that individuals with suspected links to the Islamic group Hezbollah were plotting terrorist attacks in Brazil. On Thursday (Nov. 9), Brazilian federal court officials confirmed the information to Agência Brasil.

The Federal Judicial Section of Minas Gerais state has authorized the arrest of two suspects and the serving of eleven search and seizure warrants under Operation Trapiche, launched by the Federal Police on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The section is the first public body to mention Hezbollah. So far, both the Federal Police and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security have avoided associating the targets of the crackdown with the Lebanon-based political and military group.

Operation Trapiche is the result of probes carried out by the Federal Police Counter-Terrorism Division after the FBI sent a memorandum to the Brazilian authorities pointing out the imminent risk.

According to the Brazilian court officials, the document sent by US diplomatic representatives mentions several people, born or naturalized Brazilians, whose identities have not been revealed. The memo also makes reference to the possibility that those being investigated in Brazil are planning terrorist activities in neighboring countries.

“The investigations carried out by the Federal Police, based on information supplied by the FBI, have detected signs of criminal activity by those investigated, as well as connections with the Islamic militant group Hezbollah. Under investigation is the possible recruitment of Brazilians for illicit activities, including terrorism,” court officials told Agência Brasil in a statement.

“In view of the situation and considering that all the requirements have been met, the 2nd Federal Criminal Court in Belo Horizonte has granted the measures requested by the police authority—which include temporary arrests as well as searches and seizures,” the note goes on to read.

Israeli intelligence

Hours after the Federal Police stated the operation aimed to “disrupt preparation for terrorism and gather evidence of the possible recruitment of Brazilians for extremist activities in the country,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, had also collaborated with the Brazilian police effort.

“The security agencies in Brazil, along with Mossad and its partners in the Israeli security community and other international security and surveillance bodies, foiled an attack in Brazil by the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” the Israeli note mentions, accusing the native and naturalized Brazilians targeted by Operation Trapiche of being part of a terrorist cell that worked on behalf of Hezbollah to stage an assault on Israeli and Jewish targets in the country.

The Israeli Confederation of Brazil (Conib) also expressed concern about the suspicion that the individuals under scrutiny in Operation Trapiche have links to Hezbollah and were allegedly planning to attack Jewish targets in Brazil or its neighbors. According to the organization, the “tragic conflicts in the Middle East must not be imported to Brazil, where different communities live together peacefully, harmoniously, and without fear of terrorism.”

A cautious tone

Brazil’s Minister of Justice and Public Security Flávio Dino assumed a more cautious tone when talking about the probe. Just yesterday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro, he described the police crackdown as a preventive measure based on a hypothesis: “The Federal Police are carrying out an investigation into the hypothesis that a terrorist network is trying to establish itself in Brazil. Look, it’s a hypothesis that the Federal Police are looking into.”

Today, the minister wrote on X that “no representative of a foreign government can claim to predict the outcome of a still ongoing investigation conducted by the Federal Police.” “Brazil is a sovereign country,” he went on, and “it’s the Federal Police officers’ task to examine the evidence found in international reports.”

“The [two judicial] warrants [for temporary arrest and the twelve orders for search and seizure] served yesterday [in the Federal District, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo] on a possible case of terrorism come as a result of decisions made by the Brazilian Judiciary. If evidence is found, it is the duty of the Federal Police to investigate and confirm the hypotheses,” the minister added, reiterating that the federal crackdown has nothing to do with international conflicts, in reference to the current military confrontation between Israel and the Islamic group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.