A suicide attacker believed to be behind the attack outside Brazil’s Supreme Court in Brasilia on Wednesday evening is reported to have killed himself with his explosives, seconds before any other casualty. An assailant was confirmed dead and no one else was reported injured following two blasts seconds after each other. The police are still investigating the incident as they have cordoned off the entire area while bomb disposal teams take control of the site.

Explosion Rocks Brasília as Man Tries to Blast Attack on Supreme Court

The explosions occurred at the entrance to the Supreme Court in the Praça dos Três Poderes or Three Powers Plaza, a central governmental area of Brazil’s capital. Witnesses say that the man threw what appears to be explosives before an explosion occurred. Officials later said the man was dead at the scene. No bystanders nor personnel at the Supreme Court building were hurt by the blasts that happened in several places since a precautionary measure in which it had been evacuated had been undertaken immediately upon hearing the sounds of the blasts.

Police Investigate Possible Link to Other Explosives

According to Police spokesman Maj. Raphael van der Broocke, a Military Police robot was also deployed to search the body, and a timer was identified, which may be connected to other explosives found nearby. Authorities are wary that the situation is still explosive, and measures are in place to safely neutralize other threats found in the surroundings.

“The Military Police robot is combing the body of the perpetrator of the attack, and we identified a timer, and it’s probably linked with other explosives,” said van der Brooke. “Other explosives have already been identified around the body, and we must be cautious to prevent a chain reaction.”(More

Government Officials Condemn the Attack

Brazil’s Solicitor General, Jorge Messias, lashed out at the assault as a targeted attack on the country’s judiciary. He vowed to investigate the incident to understand its motivation. Posting his message on X (formerly Twitter), Messias said, “I strongly condemn attacks against the Supreme Court and the House of Representatives. We must know the motivation behind the attacks and work to re-establish peace and safety as quickly as possible.”

The attack has triggered huge security concerns, especially since it targeted an institution of high rank in Brazil’s government.

Eyewitness Account: Attack Occurs Just Outside the Court

Eyewitness Lavana Costa witnessed how close she came to the attacker. She told of the explosives that the man launched towards the Supreme Court building. A woman who witnessed the crime said a brief incident she shared with the man before the explosions occurred.

“I was at the bus stop, and this guy just waved hello and didn’t say anything else,” Costa said in an interview with TV Globo. “Then we heard the noise. I looked around at the noise and saw fire and smoke. The Supreme Court security guards came. He had already thrown something at the statue of justice. When the STF security guards were approaching, he threw something again. That’s when it blew up, and he fell to the ground.”

Costa’s testimony reveals that the man was the only person who witnessed the blast. So, it appears like an attack by a lone wolf, as the initial reports proposed.

Official Response: The Supreme Court and Parliament Resigned

The Supreme Court reported the blasts, and justices were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The justices were rushed for safety within minutes of concluding their plenary session. The attack took place in the Praça dos Três Poderes, an extremely symbolic venue that contains several important government buildings. According to reports by local media, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had left the area shortly before the explosions.

Speculative Analysis of Motive: Possibly a Suicide Attack

Brazil’s Deputy Governor Celina Leao theorized that the incident might have been performed by only one attacker, in an instance of “lone wolf” attacks, which have become common worldwide. “Maybe it could have been a lone wolf, like others we’ve seen around the world,” Leao said in a statement. Although preliminary investigations seem to point to a suicide attack, authorities are yet to establish the motivation and identity of the killer. “We are considering it as a suicide because there was only one victim,” Leao said, but she emphasized that further investigation would be necessary to determine the full details finally.

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Blast Comes Just Before High-Profile Visit

The bombing occurred just a few days before the intended visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Brazil, yet another prominent international diplomatic visit following the G20 summit hosted in Rio de Janeiro. The fact that the attack happened exactly one week before the visit makes one raises more questions than answers on why this bombing occurred.

A Tense History at the Three Powers Plaza

The Praça dos Três Poderes has been the scene of great political tension in the last few years. Last year, the followers of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the very same buildings in a bid to invalidate the results of the 2022 presidential election that President Lula won against Bolsonaro. The area is once again at the center of political unrest, though officials still work to understand whether the newest attack is related to the broader political climate or if it is the work of a single, disaffected individual.