The inauguration ceremony of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took place between enormous security measures and without serious incidents, although there were some scares. In the morning, the police arrested a man who tried to gain access to the square in front of the Planalto Palace with a knife and fireworks. According to the Military Police, the man came from Rio de Janeiro to participate in the event. The objects were found during the security control of all those attending the ceremony. Just in the square where the presidential palace is located, where Lula gave his speech to the people, there were more than 40,000 people.
The other scare of the day occurred in the afternoon. A drone that was flying over the central region of Brasilia without permission was shot down by a Federal Police agent. The weapon used by the police emits a frequency that disrupts communication between the drone and its pilot, allowing the officer to land the drone in a safe area. At the moment there is no information about the potential danger of the device or about the identity of its owner.
The day with which Lula starts his Government summoned more than 300,000 people from all corners of the country, and guaranteeing their safety, that of the president and foreign authorities, has been an obsession in recent days. Almost 700 federal police officers, the anti-bomb squad, plainclothes agents, and snipers participated in the extensive security scheme, in addition to all the members of the firefighters and the Military Police of the Federal District and agents of the National Force.
The Esplanada de los Ministerios, where Lula paraded in the presidential Rolls Royce, was blocked with kilometers of fences, and to access the premises one had to submit to a search. The bags and backpacks magazine caused huge queues, but ensured the safety of the event. Until the last minute there was speculation that, for security reasons, Lula decided to hold the traditional parade from inside an armored car, but in the end the tradition was fulfilled. Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and his wives paraded standing, bare-bodied, on the Rolls Royce.
The fear of what could happen this Sunday was not unfounded. On Christmas Eve, police detained a Bolsonarista who tried to blow up a truck loaded with fuel near the Brasilia airport. He is in custody and faces a terrorism charge. Days before, when Lula received his presidential diploma, dozens of Bolsonaro’s supporters also caused serious incidents: they tried to invade the Federal Police headquarters, threw stones at the agents and burned cars and buses.
The specter of the assault on the Washington Capitol by the followers of Donald Trump has also been hovering over Brasilia for a long time, especially due to the presence of radical Bolsonaristas camped out in front of the Army headquarters, a few kilometers from where Lula took office. Despite the fact that they were fewer and fewer, the continuous proclamations of the coup and the frustrated attempt at a terrorist attack generated concern. The new Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, defined these camps as “terrorist incubators” and promised to end the wide sleeve that has existed up to now with these followers of the extreme right.
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